Level 1: At this level, children begin to distinguish their own emotions from those of others and can respond to obvious emotional signals (such as crying or sadness). However, their ability to put themselves in the shoes of others is limited to visible and concrete situations. They follow simple empathic behaviour patterns, responding with care and concern when they see another child in pain, but tend to react only if the pain is explicit.
Level 2: At this stage, children develop a greater ability to ‘take the perspective’ of others, i.e. to understand that even without overt emotional expressions, other people may have different emotions and may be influenced by external factors. This is the stage at which they begin to understand that actions can influence the emotions of others, even in contexts that cannot be directly observed.
Level 3: Around the age of 10, children are able to display a more mature form of empathy, involving both emotional and cognitive understanding. They can perceive another person’s emotions even if they are not expressed overtly and can engage in empathic behaviour by anticipating how their actions may affect the emotions of others. This is also the age at which children begin to develop the ability to emotionally support others, offering advice or seeking solutions to others’ problems.