Humans spend a large amount of their free time engaged with fiction, whether it is reading a novel before bed, watching a television show, or skimming over the comic strips in the newspaper. Despite the abundance of these familiarities, there is very little research examining the effect of these experiences and the role they play in developing empathy, particularly in school age children. There is significant evidence that supports the relationship between reading fiction and empathy in adults (Johnson, 2012; Kidd & Castano, 2013; Mar et. al., 2006; Mar et. al., 2009). Based on this research and additional findings, this paper provides implications for building empathy in students through teaching practices. It also suggests the potential impacts these practices can have on not only the classroom level, but the societal level in terms of developing more empathetic children.