Written By: Haneen Khuzam, her blog Working_mother_of_2

It's no secret that all of us want to raise compassionate kids, but how do we do it?

Well, it doesn't happen overnight and part of it is being compassionate towards our kids for them to grasp this concept. Compassion needs to be practised towards others as well while your children are present; any type of kind and empathetic action performed can teach your little ones something. It doesn't matter how big or small it is, it will make a difference.

For example, holding the door open for someone, picking up something that someone dropped, letting someone pass before you in a queue, saying please and thank you, checking in on someone sick and asking if they need any help; those are all kind and compassionate gestures.

One thing I usually do when playing with my kids is helping them pick up their toys. I say: "Let's all help each other so no one gets tired." They took this on board and even though we have a nanny at home now, they help her with little chores and cleaning up their room because they say that she works hard and will get tired otherwise. 

Another thing I often do with my kids is that if someone drops something on the floor, I pick it up for them, especially if they're mothers with young children or elderly people. My son has picked up this habit and now he does the same thing and feels so proud of himself afterwards. 

I also remind my kids repeatedly that there are less fortunate kids who don't have the same privileges we do. Though sometimes I get frustrated with them for being inconsiderate, they do surprise me and prove that they've been listening to me. 

Recently, my daughter picked a few of her LOL dolls that she doesn't play with, with all their accessories, and said: "Mama, let's give these to poor kids, we have a lot and they don't. We can make them happy."

All these little gestures will teach our little ones how beautiful kindness is and how compassionate we can be with just one simple action.