What is compassion?

Compassion is when you feel someone else’s pain and want to help them feel better.

Imagine you're playing with your favorite toy, and your friend trips and drops their snack on the floor. You see they’re sad because their snack got messy, so you say, “Here, let me share my toy with you for a while!” That’s compassion, feeling someone else's sadness or trouble and doing something kind to help.

Empathy is like having a special friend inside your head who can feel what others are feeling. When you see your friend upset, that inner friend says, “Oh no, they’re sad! I want to make them happy.”

Then kindness steps in, it’s the action part of compassion. Kindness is like giving someone a hug when they're crying or sharing your last cookie because you know they’re hungry.

So compassion is empathy and kindness working together, just like your friend and you helping each other out during playtime!