Grades 3–5
Which Reply Shows Empathy?
Read six things friends say and circle the reply that shows you understand how they feel.
SEL worksheet · Kindness and empathy
Spot the Clues, Show You Care
Read four short stories, find the clues that show how someone feels and write what you could say or do.
- Grade level
- Grades 2–5
- Time
- About 25 minutes
- Topic
- Kindness and empathy
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- Kindness, Empathy, Perspective-taking, Inclusion
What kids do
Printed on the sheet:
- Read each story. Write the clues, how the person might feel, and what you could say or do.
- 1. Ava’s eyes are wet. She is sitting alone on the bench and hugging her knees.
- They might feel:
- I could say or do:
- 2. Leo crosses his arms and stomps away from the game. His face is red.
- 3. It is Sam’s first day. He is looking all around and holding his backpack tight.
- 4. Maya jumps up and down and waves her spelling test with a big smile.
Teacher tip
Ask kids to underline the clues in each story before they write.
How to use it
- Catch kids being kind and name exactly what they did.
- Keep a kindness jar: add a pom-pom for each kind act you notice.
- Keep finished sheets in an SEL folder so kids can look back on their growth.
Watch for
Kindness that is only for friends. Talk about being kind to people we don’t know well too.
Talk about it
- What is a kind thing you could do right now?
- How might someone else see it differently?
Take it further
Write kindness notes for another class, the office staff or the custodian.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More kindness and empathy worksheets
Grades 2–5
Make It a Specific Compliment
For six moments, circle the compliment that says exactly what was great, then write two specific compliments of your own.
Grades K–2
Kind to Animals and the Earth
Color the twelve ways to be kind to animals and our planet, cross out the ones that are not, then draw one you will do.
Grades 1–3
The Kindness Ripple
Number six parts of a story to see how one kind act spreads from person to person, then plan a ripple of your own.
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