How would you feel if you could assist your students in putting themselves in someone else’s shoes and understanding what they are thinking and how they feel?
That is the power of perspective, and it is perhaps one of the greatest tools one can learn in order to improve their relationships with other people, understand them, and increase empathy.
It is this skill that makes a world of difference in their ability to look at things from other people’s perspectives in order to function in a classroom environment, contribute to group projects, or simply understand the situation.
And it is not just the act of being kind but being visionary, innovative, and perceptive of others’ feelings, too. Perspective-taking is an action that fosters a connection and helps narrow the gap, which makes the classroom thrive on understanding and connection.
Are you ready to help your students enhance their skills?
Let’s look at 6 compelling activities that will expand their vision and deepen their learning.
1. Scoot Game
Empathy scoot game can be a really fun activity for your students. For this, you’ll have to set up stations throughout the classroom. Your students will then rotate through the stations, reading the prompt at each station and writing or discussing their answers.
You can use social dilemmas, random scenarios, and emotional responses as prompts. With each rotation, they’ll be acquiring the skill of stepping into someone else’s shoes and looking at things from their perspective, thereby developing their perspective taking ability.
After rotation, you can ask the entire class to discuss the range of opinions expressed. It’s an excellent method to build empathy, critical thinking, and social consciousness while keeping your students moving and stimulated.
2. “What Would You Do?” Scenario Cards
In this activity, you will prepare some scenario cards that describe real-life social situations or dilemmas they might encounter in school, at home, or with friends. You will show each scenario to your students and then ask, ‘What would you do?’
Ask them to explain why they would respond that way. Then, lead a discussion where everyone ponders how various people could find themselves reacting in various ways depending on the backdrop, emotions, or values.
It helps students to get used to the idea that there are often multiple ways to approach a problem and to understand different perspectives. This activity can be done in small groups, pairs, or as a whole class circle discussion. It is simple and encourages thoughtful conversations.
3. “Walk in Their Shoes” Journaling
First, you’ll have your students write a journal entry from someone else’s perspective. It might be a classmate, a character from a book, a person from another culture or background, or even a historical figure.
Ask your students to imagine what that person might think, feel, and experience in a given situation. You can provide them with a prompt or let them come up with something on their own.
Next, gather a few students to read theirs and discuss together as a class about the wide range of opinions. Using this exercise promotes empathy, increases understanding, and expands thinking outside the box while providing practice in writing and thinking.
4. Role-Play Scenarios
Role-play scenarios are one activity in which you will give your students different roles to respond to a situation or conflict. It could be something as simple as solving a problem or managing emotions or something more dynamic, such as handling a difficult social interaction.
Students will take on a role and act out the situation, pretending to figure out their responsibilities as best they can. You then lead the students in a discussion, allowing them to consider what happened in the role play and their decisions.
Moreover, you can ask them how it felt to walk in someone else’s shoes and how their response might be if they were in a different person’s position. This activity allows students to practice empathy, communication, and problem-solving skills and make better sense of other people’s perspectives.
5. Video and Discussion
You can share a short video clip with your students – a movie clip, a social experiment, or a documentary – in which characters or individuals view a situation differently. Have your students watch it and discuss what they saw.
You can ask questions like, “How do you think each person felt in that moment?” or “If you were in their shoes, what would you do?” In this way, students are motivated to study the emotions, actions, and choices of the characters.
Watching the video helps students understand the diversity of experience. In doing so, they learn to think critically, empathize with their peers, and gain a greater understanding of human perspective.
6. Get to know you BINGO
For this activity, create a BINGO card jam-packed with various traits, experiences, or facts about people that could include things like “Has a pet,” “Can speak multiple languages,” or “Traveled to another country.”
Next, the students will get up and walk around the room, asking their classmates questions to find someone who fits the description. They answer when they find a match and write that person’s name in the matching box.
The intention is to fill up and connect with the people in the class. This activity allows students to share some parts of their lives, recognizing both similarities and differences.
Conclusion
When you add these activities into your classroom, you’re not just teaching your students better perspective-taking skills. You’re cultivating empathy, critical thinking, and an enhanced understanding of how our world works.
Each activity helps them go beyond their own experience and see the world from others’ perspectives. Whether they’re journaling, role-playing, or debating real-life situations, this will provide your students with valuable tools to navigate social interactions with compassion and awareness.
Use these strategies to enhance your students’ thinking and make them more thoughtful and open-minded.
