Chapter 3 - Appreciating and practising empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of others, to see things through their eyes, to imagine what it would be like to be them in a particular situation (Rogers, 2004). Anyone working with people, especially with young children, should have excellent empathy skills (Boyer, 2010). This chapter explores how Early Childhood Practitioners (ECPs) demonstrate empathy within everyday practice and the impact of this on them. Using empirical data I examine some of the empathy approaches employed by practitioners, along with the rewards and emotional costs.