Building Empathy Through Shared Reading

About the Session

Stories do more than entertain - they shape how we connect with others. This interactive session, hosted by Bookmark in collaboration with Empathy Lab, will explore the neurological impact of stories and how our brains are wired to develop empathy through shared reading.

We’ll provide a brief evidence-based overview of the link between reading enjoyment, social/emotional development, and wellbeing - both for individuals and for creating cohesive communities.

The session will focus on two key empathy skills that can be built through reading:

• Language for emotions – developing complexity and nuance to support self-regulation
• Perspective taking – building shared character perspectives as a group

You’ll leave with practical tips and tools to embed these skills into everyday reading and story sharing, including:

• All books can be empathy-building
• Empathy-focused booktalk for sharing perspectives
• Leveraging illustrations to develop emotional vocabulary
• Classroom immersive activities to step into a character’s perspective, while staying within the safety of the story

We’ll also cover how to approach challenging topics, with guidance on building trust and safeguarding.

Finally, you’ll get an introduction to free resources from EmpathyLab, including details of Empathy Day Festival 2026, which will focus on wellbeing.

This event marks the launch of Bookmark’s Wellbeing Networking Group. The ideas and strategies shared will form the foundation for future networking sessions, where schools can collaborate and share best practices for supporting wellbeing through reading.

Why Attend Live?

The session will be recorded and available later on Bookmark's learning platform (360Learning), but live attendance is encouraged for interactive discussion and Q&A.

Important Details

• Spaces are limited – sign up early to avoid disappointment
• Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants closer to the event
• For any questions, please contact: programmedevelopment@bookmarkreading.org