Personal & Social Development·Empathy & Social Awareness·language
Vocabulary: understanding others
Know and use the key vocabulary for understanding others — empathy, perspective, kind, fair, community, similar, different, and care — and understand that these words describe real habits of thinking and feeling
Suggested ages 5–8
Learning journey
Your child is developing emotional intelligence and social skills — learning to show kindness to others, appreciating diversity in their community, and understanding that people have different thoughts and feelings.
Evidence of understanding
- Use the word 'empathy' correctly and distinguish it from 'sympathy' — e.g. 'Empathy means I try to feel what they feel'
- Explain what 'perspective' and 'point of view' mean and demonstrate by describing how two people might see the same event differently
- Use words like 'community', 'belonging', and 'inclusion' accurately when talking about their school or neighbourhood
Assessment prompt
When Vocabulary: understanding others sees someone who seems sad or left out, can they describe what that person might be feeling using words like 'empathy' or 'perspective' — showing they're thinking about the other person, not just themselves?
Standards alignment
No external standards are linked to this topic.