Name the Impact

Kids do not always see the wake their actions leave. Point it out gently, both ways:

• "Did you see how her face lit up when you shared your snack?"
• "He went quiet after that. What do you think he needed right then?"

And skip the forced apology. A squeezed-out "sorry" teaches your child to perform regret, not feel it, and the other kid learns the word means nothing. Ask instead: "What could you do to make it right?" Let them come up with the repair themselves — that is where the empathy actually lands.