Parents play a crucial role in teaching toddlers for sharing by modeling positive behavior.
Also, sharing is a social skill which is a foundation in helping children build healthy relationships with others in their lives.
Consistency is key when teaching toddlers for sharing, as it encourages long-term cooperative habits.
It is not easy to teach the toddlers how to share, but with the correct methods and approaches, the parents can instill proper attitudes and values in their children.
This blog will provide easy tips regarding being able to share with young children and uses illustrations and recommendations from ongoing research.
Teaching Toddlers to Share
Teaching toddlers to share is not only for the noble cause of practicing the culture of sharing but for teaching them fair dealing, patience, mindfulness as well as cooperation.
At this age, children are just discovering the world from their own view, so children’s natural curiosity should be encouraged, but they should also learn the importance of sharing with others.
Also Read, How to get Hair out of Baby’s Eye
Top 14 Tips for Promoting Sharing in Children
1: Be Your Child’s Advocate
Do not compel them to talk, teach them how to come out with what they are feelings. Assist them into realizing that at times it is perfectly acceptable to refuse to share with others, but this can be done while teaching them that sharing does make playtime more enjoyable for all.
2: Acknowledge and Validate Feelings
Identify when your child look or feels worried to share. Make them understand it is alright to have such feeling, however, inform them how it is beneficial to share with friends.
3: Encourage Taking Turns
Seat exchanges are an excellent way to start sharing while in the classroom. This way the children are more likely to co-operate and since you can time the action, each child gets to play with the said toy.
4: Demonstrate Sharing as a Parent
This is a fact since children are known to be wise in absorbing information and manners from the early perspectives of their lives. One should ensure that the child sees him or her sharing, for instance, food, utensils, or your time with other people as this will help in developing the positive atmosphere.
5: Play Games that Involve Sharing
It is advisable to play games that will make the children share some property instead of being completely selfish. Some of the games that can be played by toddlers may include, building blocks, playing house and as such, toddlers can understand that everyone becomes happier when games and toys are shared.
6: Avoid Forcing Them to Share
Never force them to share their feelings, for it only leads to the deterioration of their feelings. Also,
do not make sharing an issue or make it look like it is the only option left for one to take. Do not force your child to share instead explain why sharing is good and let him or her make decision on what to do on his or her own.
7: Explain Situations in Simple Terms
Toddlers don’t have to share things they do not want to, so when your child refuses to share, explain the reasons to him. Elaborate on the fact that sharing makes everyone happy playing with the toys and at another turn it is possible to take the toys.
8: Prepare for Social Interactions in Advance
One of the things that should be done earlier on is preparing for the social interactions and interactions that shall happen later.
However, discussing with your child what is to be expected during the playdates will go a long way in preparing the child for the playdates.
Promote imaginative play by asking them such questions as, How can you play with your friends and share toys?, What do you think will happen if you do not share your toys with your friends?
9: Praise Positive Sharing Behavior
Additionally, when your child is sharing, you should promptly commend him or her. It makes them associate the right behavior which is sharing with a rewarding or a pleasant end result.
10: Schedule Regular Playdates
If you take your child out to play with other kids more often, he or she gets more practice in sharing and develops more durable social skills along with playtime.
11: Ensure There’s Enough for Everyone
Make sure many children can play with at least one toy at the same time so that they are not always fighting over the possession of a particular toy.
12: Arrange Time for Group Play
This lesson’s idea is from an article about how students should be allowed to have some free time during the day to engage in group activities.
It is also important to observe that your child is spending ample of time with other children. The cross-sectional comparative findings revealed that the higher the contact with peers, the less the pressure placed on the students, and thus they found it natural to share.
13: Engage in Pretend Play
Engage your toddler’s in pretend play where, one simulates to share utensils, toys or food with the other child.
14: Set Clear Boundaries
Make sure your child understands that there are toys which he or she has to share and there are toys that are forbidden to share. It helps them to have some control during these playdates hence minimize their anxiety.
5 Do Not’s for Promoting Sharing
1: Don’t Force Sharing
Parents need to restrain themselves from forcing a child to share, as this tends to lead to frustrations or rebellion from the child. However, in caution, approach them and make them understand the importance of sharing.
2: Don’t Ignore Their Feelings
So, if your child is eager not to share, do not just look the other way when he starts crying. Before they are compelled to explain it, do check if their feelings are valid to ease the process.
3: Don’t Punish for Not Sharing
Consequences can make a child develop a wrong perception about sharing if they are punished. One should not scold the child for not sharing, but rather encourage them how sharing is a good thing to do, and they should be rewarded for sharing.
4: Don’t Compare to Other Kids
Do not talk in ways such as, Just look how good your friend is at sharing. Sharing can lead to your child losing confidence and even develop hatred towards sharing.
5: Don’t Expect Immediate Results
Be patient while teaching sharing. Because, toddlers surely take time to fully understand what sharing is and how it impacts his/her life. It is usually seen that rushing the process could hinder long-term development.
Why Sharing is Important
It helps the toddler to develop empathy, cooperation as well as learn how to share, which are vital and important aspects of their emotional and social development.
By doing so, children are able to understand relationships, self-control and how to cope with an injury in the process of sharing.
Common Challenges Parents Face When Teaching Sharing to Toddlers
There are challenges that parents experience, especially when teaching young children as young as two years to share.
Some children would cry, some would become jealous when their friends take friends’ toys apparently without asking, or young children could not comprehend how the game is shared or who gets the first turn.
Play at this age may also be characterized by difficulty in communicating one’s feelings, thus young children may exhibit frustration during group play or play dates.
How Parents make their Child Learning Sharing
A lot of parents have experienced situations where a child does not want to share his/her beloved toy but day by day, observing changes, they see improvements.
For instance, one of the parents narrates that at first her son was very rigid while playing with other children but on growing up he surprisingly became patient enough to share play in that the game is only taken when the other one is done waiting for his or her turn.
Expert Opinions and Research Regarding Sharing
Concerning the proper approach to teaching children on sharing, experts are in one in a sense, as they believe that the process should be continuous.
The child development research by the American Academy of Pediatrics has it that learning to share, experiencing validation of their emotions, and practicing on sharing and taking turns can greatly enhance a child’s enthusiasm to share.
Stress is laid on the fact that such activities as those that tend to foster empathy in children are very essential in enabling the young to understand the principle of sharing.
Common Mistakes to Avoid While Teaching Sharing
An important mistake that parents make is expecting their children to share. This will usually trigger rivalry in the children.
That is why, instead of insisting on sharing, the parents should try to elaborate their child’s feelings about it.
Of these, one downside is failure to make children ready for interactions that involve sharing, and more often this leads to frustration.
Queries Relating Sharing
Q: At what age should I start teaching my toddler to share?
A: The best age to start teaching the concept of sharing is around age 2 because, toddlers begin developing a sense of empathy and understanding of social rules.
Q: What if my child refuses to share at playdates?
Stay calm and encourage turn-taking gradually. Role modeling and consistency are key that help your child to not only understand but also embrace sharing.
