​Empathy is, at its simplest, awareness of the feelings and emotions of other people. It is a key element of Emotional Intelligence, the link between self and others, because it is how we as individuals understand what others are experiencing as if we were feeling it ourselves. An example of empathy from a four year olds class. It was ship time with kitchen set. Each one started pretending to cook their favorite dish. Just then each child picked up a character.

Aliyah: I’m mamma
Veer (jumped in): Then I’m the papa
Amogh (volunteered): I can be the brother
Saanvi (did not pick a character, looked at Neel): Neel is the baby
Neel (disagreed vehemently): I’m not a baby
Amogh (explained patiently): But you’re so little, Neel
Neel (not really convinced): *quiet*
Saanvi (noticing Neel's reluctant face, empathized): Neel it’s just a pretend okay
Neel (now content, agreed): Okay
 
It is clearly visible how Saanvi put herself in Neel’s shoes, understood his emotional state and responded appropriately to it. it is only when we feel fully understood do we get convinced, else it takes a lot to accommodate everyone to truly collaborate and work together. When children learn such lessons early on in life, empathy becomes a skill they can practice and carry on with themselves for the rest of their lives. 

Contributed by Grace Veronica, Facilitator, Sparkling Mindz Global Preschool

The Pups and Calves were given a challenge in the morning for their morning ITP (Invitation To Play) where they were asked to create music. The twist was, they needed to make music with no musical instruments. 

The reaction was priceless - excitement, curiosity, eyes sparking up with wonder, confusion, lost...
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F: Go ahead and make music! You can do it!

Suddenly they were everywhere. The facilitator wasn't prepared for their reaction. Some started clapping, some were trying to whistle, some banged the tables, walls, tables, some stomped, some made sounds with their mouths, some banged on beds, some took chairs and banged against the wall...needless to say there was a plethora of sounds that arrived as part of their experimentation. Some wanted to sing, so they did. 

Suddenly T says, "Let the girls sing and boys make music!"

And that was what happened. With a little help from the facilitator, girls got together and sang our school's anthem while boys clapped, stomped, whistled, etc. And vice versa. 

All in all, children had a gala of a time making music today with absolutely no instruments! 

Who said we need instruments to make music? As long as we have our imagination, we can achieve anything!

Contributed by Sruthy Krishna, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global Preschool. 

​Children came running into the class after playing a very fun game of ‘Aim and hit’ using balloons. While the 2-3 year olds had used bats to hit the balloons, the 3-4 year olds had a challenge at hand – to hit the balloons using only their hands and not letting it touch the ground. They all seemed to love the game; screaming, running and chasing their balloons, trying to keep them afloat!

Later, when they gathered for circle time, the facilitator asked the children ‘Is it important for us to move our body and play?’ All of them agreed in unison, ‘Yeeees!’ However, there was one voice that said ‘No!’.
F : Oh! N says it is not important for us to move our body.
V (looking at N) : No, it is good.
Av :  It is good only!
F : Why is it good?
V : Because it make us healthy..and and strong.
F : Yes! And how do you think our body feels when we move it?
Ad &V :Haaaappy!
F : What do you think N? Should we move our body to stay healthy?
N : Yes!

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This small conversation is an example of how children as young as 3 year olds are capable of peer intervention! When children understand the why, what and how of their learning, it gets deeply imbued in their minds and shapes their values and views of the world.

Contributed by Disha, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global School

As a welcome back play, the Pups and Calves (aged from 3 to 4) were taken upstairs to the sandpit to play. They always look forward to playing upstairs. Soaking in the sun, spotting new flowers, watering the plants with the water in their water bottles, fun time building an empire in the sandpit, etc. are just some of the many things the children usually engage in when they get to go upstairs and explore. Today they were in for a play in the sandpit but with a twist: they can only use their feet! 

As expected, this news was received with a lot of enthusiasm and confusion : how will we play with our feet, my legs will get dirty, what about our shoes and socks, and so on were some of the both expressed and unexpressed questions that arose. 

They all wore their shoes, carried their water bottles and stood in a line, all geared up and excited about their new game and marched upstairs to the song 'We are going up the stairs'. After reaching the top, they all removed their shoes and kept them below the table where they usually keep their water bottles. 

Some of them then enthusiastically stared at the sandpit wondering how to jump in and play with only their feet while some of them just went for it and started moving their feet around feeling the sand. A few splashed the sand around with their feet and others tried digging the sand with their feet and hands, and needed constant reminder to use only their feet. 

While all this play went on, two of them refused to join their friends, where one said, "My legs will get dirty ma'am. I don't want to play." When he was told that he can even go play with his footwear, unwillingly we walked to the sandpit, jumped in for the sake of it and ran out, and the second child said,"This is boring. I don't want to play", and marched off to the corner, passing comments at others expecting them to join him. After a while both the children who refused to play in the sandpit joined to play 'Robot Robot' by themselves and were left to play in their robot world. 
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On the other side in the sandpit, there was a little exploration that was happening,
" The sand is so soft. It's also wet!", said K with a lot of curiosity, digging the sand and finding his feet wet when they touched the wet sand underneath the dry sand. 
S: "You put water and it will melt and go down down down. That's why sand is wet."
 H: "Ya. There's water. Rain came."

While this discussion was going on, T came in and was asked to remove her shoes and jump in. But she seemed confused. The confusion was broken by An who called out, "But she can't remove her socks. She's wearing sock pants!" She was suggested that she could use her hands if she wanted, but she just wanted to stand and watch her friends play. 

By then it was already time up for the play to be wound up. They all then happily washed their feet, hands, wore their shoes and marched back down to their class with a lot of memories to carry forth.

When was the last time you truly played with something and let go of your inhibitions, and let your inner child out? What did you learn from that little play?

Contributed by Sruthy Krishna, Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz. 

The Calves, our 3 year olds class, and I started our story time one day in August. Little Engine was the story we picked and all of us sat down in a circle to listen. For our story time, we have a wall full of emotions where children can identify and relate to what the character is feeling as the story progresses. 

Throughout the Little Engine story, children constantly ran over to relate to the emotions. Over the course of the story, children constantly connected with the Little Engine that was stuck in the middle of nowhere as it couldn't go up the mountain to deliver the toys it had promised to the children. Here's how the discussion went:

H (points to the thinking face): It is thinking about going, is stuck. 
(She was talking about how to get the train unstuck, from the train's perspective)
Av: It's scared and shocked. Another big train is coming on the track. 
S: It's happy ma'am. 
F: Why is it happy?
S: Because it's going to give toys to children. 
Aa: Crying, the big engine is not helping it. 
K: Sad. Because the storm is coming.