How Indie Game Narratives Teach Empathy: Classroom Activities Using 'Baby Steps'

Turn awkwardness into learning: an activity pack that uses the indie game Baby Steps to teach empathy

Teachers and facilitators: if you struggle to find high-quality, ready-to-run SEL activities that make abstract skills like vulnerability and embarrassment concrete, this class pack solves that gap. Designed for middle and high school classrooms (and adaptable for adult learners), these activities use the indie game Baby Steps as a safe, approachable springboard for structured character study and measurable student empathy outcomes.

Why indie games — and why now (2026)?

Indie games have led a quiet revolution in narrative intimacy over the past decade. Unlike big-studio blockbusters, indie titles focus on compact stories and distinct emotional beats that are easy to pause, discuss, and analyse in class. In late 2025 and early 2026, curriculum designers and edtech platforms increasingly recommended game-based learning for SEL because small-group gameplay and guided reflection produce observable empathy gains when paired with structured prompts.

Baby Steps is especially useful because it centers a protagonist who is comically vulnerable — a “manbaby” figure whose awkwardness, fear, and repeated small failures invite both laughter and compassion. That mix of mockery and tenderness creates a low-stakes environment where students can safely examine embarrassment without shaming real classmates.

“It’s a loving mockery, because it’s also who I am.” — a creator on the design intent behind Baby Steps

Learning targets & standards alignment

Use this pack to map gameplay to concrete SEL and ELA competencies. Suggested learning targets:

• Social awareness: identify emotions in characters and relate them to others’ perspectives.
• Self-awareness: recognise personal reactions to embarrassment and vulnerability.
• Relationship skills: practise empathetic listening and nonjudgmental response.
• Critical reading / character study: analyse motivation, backstory, and arc.

Aligns with CASEL-style competencies and common ELA standards for character analysis and evidence-based discussion. Adapt outcomes by grade: focus on recognition and language in grades 6–8, and on nuance, motive, and ethical response in grades 9–12.

Class pack at a glance

This section gives a quick roadmap; detailed steps follow.

• Session 0 — Prep (teacher): Play key scenes, prepare clips, set safety norms.
• Session 1 — Observe & Anchor (30–45m): Watch gameplay clips, build an empathy map.
• Session 2 — Vulnerability Stations (50–70m): Role-play, perspective swap, and journaling.
• Session 3 — Character Study & Creative Extension (60–90m): Create annotated character dossier and a personal reflection zine or scene rewrite.
• Assessment & Follow-up: Rubrics, portfolio artifacts, optional digital badge.

Pre-session prep (for teachers)

Time: 60–120 minutes

Materials: game (or prepared clips), projector, printed empathy maps, character worksheets, reflection journals, audio recorder (optional).

1. Play the game sections you plan to use. Mark timestamps for the most teachable moments (embarrassment, small victories, refusal to ask for help).
2. Prepare short clips (2–4 minutes) so gameplay doesn’t take up class time. Clips should highlight emotional beats, not mechanics.
3. Create a safe space agreement: consent to participate, opt-out procedures, and a debrief plan if a student becomes distressed.
4. Print worksheets: empathy map, character bio template, role-play scripts, and the assessment rubric.

Session 1 — Observe, label, and anchor

Time: 30–45 minutes | Objective: Students practise emotion recognition and use neutral language to describe feelings.

1. Begin with a 3–5 minute grounding exercise (deep breathing, “name one thing you’re grateful for”).
2. Watch a 2–4 minute clip of Baby Steps showing Nate fumbling or reacting to embarrassment.
3. Pair students. Give each pair an empathy map with quadrants: Says, Thinks, Feels, Does.
4. Pairs complete the map in 8–10 minutes, citing evidence from the clip. Encourage descriptive, not interpretive, phrasing (e.g., “Nate rubs his neck” vs. “Nate is stupid”).
5. Group share: each pair reads one insight. Teacher models reflective language: “I notice…, which makes me think…”

Assessment: Collect empathy maps as formative evidence of observation skill.

Session 2 — Vulnerability Stations

Time: 50–70 minutes | Objective: Students experience and name vulnerability in low-stakes, scaffolded activities.

Set up three 15–20 minute stations; groups rotate. Each station includes a different modality to reach diverse learners.

• Station A — Role-play & Perspective Swap
  1. Prompt: “Play Nate; your partner plays a hiker who criticizes you gently. React as Nate — then swap and play the critic.”
  2. Debrief: each student names one bodily reaction and one thought that came up.
• Station B — Private Journaling + Optional Read-Aloud
  1. Prompt: “Write about a small time you felt embarrassed. What did you need most in that moment?”
  2. Offer opt-in read-aloud for those who want to practice vulnerability in front of a supportive group.
• Station C — Creative Rewrite
  1. Prompt: “Rewrite the scene so Nate asks for help earlier. What changes in tone or outcome?”
  2. Focus on adding supportive dialogue and noticing small shifts in power and empathy.

Assessment: station checklists and quick exit slips: “Name one thing I can do next time I feel embarrassed.”

Session 3 — Deep character study & public empathy

Time: 60–90 minutes | Objective: Produce a character dossier and practice evidence-based empathy in discussion.

1. Assign students to small groups (3–4). Give each group a character dossier template: background, motivations, fears, embarrassment triggers, growth arc.
2. Groups use clips, prior maps, and role-play notes to complete the dossier. Require explicit textual evidence for each claim (timestamp or action described).
3. Each group presents the dossier to the class. Other students use a “Two Stars + a Wish” feedback protocol to name two empathetic observations and one question that pushes deeper.
4. Wrap with a creative extension: zine panel, short script rewrite, or a 2-minute monologue from Nate’s perspective that highlights what he would say if he had to explain his feelings.

Assessment: rubric-based scoring on evidence use, empathy language, and collaboration.

Assessment templates (practical)

Use formative and summative measures. Here are simple rubrics you can copy into your LMS or print.

• Observation rubric (formative): 3-point scale for accuracy of emotional labeling (1: misses cues; 2: partly accurate; 3: accurate + contextual evidence).
• Empathy discussion rubric (summative): assesses listening (0–3), evidence use (0–3), nonjudgmental language (0–3), and reflection (0–3). Total = 12.
• Character dossier rubric: claims supported by evidence (0–4), depth of insight (0–4), creative synthesis (0–4).

Remote and hybrid adaptations (2026-ready)

Many classrooms run hybrid models in 2026. Here are adaptations that respect accessibility and privacy:

• Use short clips hosted on a school platform or stream gameplay with captions. If the school cannot run the full game, use developer-sanctioned trailers or community-approved walkthrough clips.
• For asynchronous students, provide a transcript of the clip and an empathy-map Google Doc to complete. Use timed discussion boards for reflective posts.
• Leverage AI tools carefully: automatic captioning and sentiment-tagging can speed note-taking, but always human-review outputs for bias and errors.
• Offer an alternative to role-play for students with social anxiety: write an internal monologue from Nate’s point of view and record as a private audio file for teacher feedback.

Classroom management, safety, and equity

Because these activities touch on vulnerability and embarrassment, set clear norms:

• Begin with a trigger warning and opt-out plan. Students may pass on speaking but still participate in nonverbal tasks.
• Model empathetic responses. Use sentence stems: “I notice…, I wonder…, It sounds like…”.
• Be mindful of cultural differences around public shame and ask students privately how they’d prefer to participate.
• Keep transcripts and recordings private and stored per your school’s privacy policy.

Extensions and cross-curricular ties

Stretch the pack into interdisciplinary units:

• English: compare Nate to a literary “embarrassed protagonist” (e.g., Pip from Great Expectations) and analyse social pressure across texts.
• Drama: stage a short scene and practise nonverbal cues and proxemics to communicate embarrassment.
• Art: design a zine that explores shame and resilience through collage and captions.
• Computer science: students create a micro-game or interactive comic that explores a single emotion, learning game design and empathy coding basics.

Advanced strategies and trends for 2026 classrooms

As schools adopt more sophisticated edtech, use these advanced methods to deepen results:

• Learning analytics: pair rubric scores with longitudinal reflection journals to show student growth in emotion labelling over a semester.
• AI-assisted reflection prompts: let students draft a reflection and use a teacher-reviewed AI prompt-expander to deepen specificity. Always maintain human oversight for feedback.
• Micro-credentials: offer a teacher-built digital badge for students who demonstrate consistent empathy skills across multiple units.
• Student-led workshops: train older students to run the pack with younger cohorts, building leadership and reinforcing empathy through teaching.

Sample 90-minute lesson plan (ready to use)

Time: 90 minutes | Grade: 7–9 | Materials: 3–4 minute game clip, empathy maps, journals, rubric.

1. 0–10 min: Warm-up & norms. Brief breathing exercise.
2. 10–20 min: Watch clip. Students jot immediate reactions.
3. 20–35 min: Pair empathy maps and evidence hunt (teacher circulates).
4. 35–55 min: Vulnerability role-play in triads (actor, responder, observer). Observers record nonverbal cues.
5. 55–70 min: Whole-class share. Two Stars + a Wish protocol.
6. 70–85 min: Individual reflective journal entry and exit slip: “One act of empathy I will try this week.”
7. 85–90 min: Quick debrief and reminders for opt-out supports.

Practical teacher scripts and sentence stems

Ready-to-use language removes friction. Use these sentence stems in class:

• “I notice that when Nate does X, his body does Y. That suggests he might feel Z.”
• “Can you tell me what part of the scene makes you most uncomfortable?”
• “When you say that, I hear… Can you say more so we understand?”
• “One thing that would have helped Nate in that moment is…”

Measuring impact and evidence collection

Collect artifacts to show growth and justify curriculum time:

• Pre/post empathy labeling task (short quiz identifying emotions from stills).
• Portfolio: empathy maps, character dossier, journal entries, creative zine.
• Peer feedback logs and teacher rubric scores across three activities to show trend data.

Practical FAQ

Q: What if my school can’t licence the game?

A: Use short, public clips or developer-approved trailers. If necessary, substitute a similar indie scene focusing on embarrassment and small acts of care.

Q: How do we handle a student who discloses trauma?

A: Follow your mandatory reporting policy. Have a private debrief space and a referral pathway to counselling. Reinforce opt-out norms.

Actionable takeaways

• Start small: use a 3–4 minute clip and one empathy map the first week.
• Normalize opt-outs: give students control over how they participate.
• Use evidence: require timestamped or action-based evidence for claims about character emotion.
• Build continuity: integrate one empathy-focused micro-assignment weekly to show growth.

Final thoughts and next steps

In 2026, educators need tools that are pragmatic, evidence-aligned, and sensitive to students’ emotional safety. The indie game Baby Steps provides a compact, emotionally honest text that makes vulnerability teachable. Pair it with structured reflections, role-play, and clear rubrics, and you'll turn embarrassment — normally a classroom liability — into a powerful asset for building empathy and social awareness.

Ready to pilot this pack? Download printable empathy maps and rubrics, or sign up for a guided teacher workshop to run your first three sessions.

Call to action: Try one 30-minute clip + empathy map this week. Share your reflections in our teacher community and access editable templates to adapt the full class pack for your grade level.

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