As a child and adolescent psychologist, one of my favorite ways to build empathy in children is using books. In my work, this is labeled bibliotherapy. This approach engages young people (and adolescents or adults) in reading stories (or watching TV shows or movies) and discussing the characters thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This often feels safer to children than discussing their own thoughts and feelings and allows them to question motivations, facial expressions, and tone without feeling like they are 'questioning' another person. As children grow in their ability to understand various perspectives of characters, even those that differ from their own, they are able to generalize that ability to engaging with family members and peers.