Empathy Quotes for Children: Inspire Kindness Every Day With These Lovely Quotes.
Empathy is one of the most powerful traits we can nurture in our children. In a world that often moves too fast, raising kind, emotionally aware kids is a beautiful act of love—and resistance.
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, grandparent, or carer, sharing simple, heartfelt quotes about empathy can help children understand emotions, show compassion, and build better relationships.
In this post, I’ve gathered some of the most meaningful empathy quotes for kids, grouped by themes, and added thoughtful reflections to make them easier to discuss. Let’s raise a generation of kind, thoughtful humans—one quote at a time.
🌟 Why Teaching Empathy to Children Matters
Empathy helps children:
- Understand others’ feelings
- Build stronger friendships
- Prevent bullying
- Become better communicators
- Grow into caring adults
When children feel seen, heard, and valued, they naturally extend that kindness to others. These quotes can be used at bedtime, on lunchbox notes, during class discussions, or even as daily affirmations.
💬 Empathy Quotes for Children About Feelings
“When someone is crying, of course, the noble thing to do is to comfort them. But if someone is trying to hide their tears, it may also be noble to pretend you do not notice.”
– Lemony Snicket
👉 A gentle reminder to honour others’ emotional privacy.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.”
– Harper Lee
👉 Use this to explain the importance of perspective-taking.
“Feelings are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming but we can choose which one to surf.”
– Jonatan Mårtensson
👉 Great for helping children name and ride their emotions.
👫 Quotes About Kindness and Friendship
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
– Aesop
👉 This one encourages everyday kindness at school or home.
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”
– Dalai Lama
👉 Ideal for kids to repeat as a daily mantra.
“Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”
– Maya Angelou
🧠 Empathy Quotes That Encourage Understanding Others
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou
👉 Beautiful for helping children think about how their actions affect others.
“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another.”
– Alfred Adler
👉 Perfect for older kids learning about emotional intelligence.
“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
– Ian Maclaren
👉 Helps children practice compassion, even when others are unkind.
🛌 Quotes to Use at Bedtime or in Difficult Moments
“How you make others feel about themselves says a lot about you.”
– Unknown
👉 Encourages quiet reflection before sleep.
“The world is full of nice people. If you can’t find one, be one.”
– Nishan Panwar
👉 Empowers children to be the change.
“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien
👉 Reminds children they matter, and their kindness can shape the world.
✨ How to Use These Quotes with Kids
- 📝 Quote Jar: Write them on slips of paper and pick one each morning.
- 🎨 Printable Cards: Use them in lunchboxes, scrapbooks, or as bookmarks.
- 🛏️ Bedtime Ritual: Choose a quote and talk about a time your child showed empathy.
- 🗣️ Conversation Starters: Ask, “What do you think this means?” or “Can you think of a time this happened?”
❤️ Want to Nurture Empathy in Your Child?
If you’re finding it hard to support your child’s emotional development, I offer Parenting Power Hours—a one-to-one session where we talk through your challenges, and I help you create gentle, practical strategies to raise an emotionally resilient, kind child.
👉 Book your Parenting Power Hour now and let’s work together to bring more calm, confidence, and connection to your parenting. Available on zoom or in person.
📌 Pin 30 Empathy Quotes for Children for Later!
🧠 Final Thoughts
Empathy isn’t just something we teach once—it’s something we model, nurture, and talk about every day. These quotes are just a starting point, but they plant seeds of compassion that can grow into a lifetime of kindness.
Let’s raise the kind kids the world needs. 💕
About the Author
Becky Goddard-Hill is a parenting author, therapist, and blogger at Emotionally healthy kids. She helps parents raise emotionally intelligent children with confidence and joy. Becky offers Parenting Power Hours—a warm, one-to-one support service for those seeking calm and clarity in family life.
Follow her on Pinterest for more inspiration, or book your Power Hour here.
