Empathy Sentence Starters for Kids:

Conversation Prompts That Build Emotional Awareness

Teach empathy through simple, thoughtful questions.

This Empathy Sentence Starters for Kids printable is a gentle, practical way to help children grow their emotional awareness. These conversation prompts guide kids to pause and consider how someone else might be feeling—something they don’t always do naturally.

What’s inside:

This one-page resource includes easy-to-use prompts sorted into helpful categories.

🟦 What Do You Notice?
– What do you think they’re feeling right now?
– What did their face or body show you?

🟦 What Might They Be Thinking?
– What could they be worrying about?
– What might they wish were different?

🟦 How Might They Be Feeling Inside?
– How would you feel if you were them?
– Could they be feeling more than one thing?

🟦 How Can We Show We Care?
– What could you say to be kind?
– What action could show you care?

🟦 What Would You Want If You Were Them?
– Would you want space or support?
– What would help you feel seen?

Why it works:

Children don’t always know how to connect with others who are upset or going through something. These prompts help kids develop that skill by asking curious, open-ended questions. In doing so, they practice empathy instead of judgment.

Perfect for home, school, or therapy.

Use these prompts at the dinner table, in morning meetings, or after a disagreement between siblings. They are flexible, conversation-friendly, and require no prep. Over time, they help children become more thoughtful, kind, and emotionally aware.

Empathy starts with a pause.

This printable gives kids (and adults!) the language to slow down and care. It’s a small tool that creates big change—one question at a time.