All children go through a phase where they simply don’t want to share anything with anyone, especially other children. When someone else tries to play with his toy or eat his snack, he clings to her belongings even if he wasn’t interested in that toy or snack a few seconds ago.
Learning the importance of sharing creates harmonious playtime and a strong bond between children. Follow these 5 effective tips to teach your child to share:
Teach the concept of turn taking
Ideally, as soon as your child learns to grasp, one important thing to teach him is the concept of taking turns. As they play, teach sharing by passing a toy or object back and forth and saying “your turn” and “mommy’s turn.” According to experts, learning to take turns is the first step in sharing.
Be an example to follow
Children tend to imitate what they see and observe around them. As much as you can, be a role model and show your child the importance of sharing. For example, you are eating a snack. Divide it in two and say to your child, “Mommy shares her snack with daddy, would you like to share yours with daddy too?”
Praise sharing in simple, everyday activities.
Young children need to be able to understand that sharing is a good thing, and they need to be reminded from time to time. If they shared something with someone (even without them knowing), praise them for the action. If he’s sitting on the couch watching TV, ask him, “Can Mommy come sit with you?” If she says yes, praise her and say, “Thanks for sharing the couch with me!”
Establish a system for taking turns with toys
One thing you can try during play dates (make sure the other parents are on board) is to set a timer for how long each child can play with a toy. When the timer goes off, it’s time for your little one to give the toy to his playmate. When the timer goes off again, your child gets the toy back. This helps him understand that when he lets other children play with his toys, he will get them back.
Over time, your child will understand the concept. Follow these effective tips to teach your child to share – it’s an important foundation for good behavior when he gets older!