Teaching Your Kids the Art of Sharing

Sharing is an adhesive that holds people together. It is a powerful tool that can help us keep the spirit of collaboration and unity alive. It is extremely crucial that you pass on the practice of sharing onto your kids. But, how? Children can be obnoxiously resilient sometimes, which can make it hard for parents to teach them valuable life values. This article will help you determine the ways that can help kids learn how to share.

What Sharing Really is?

Before we dig any deeper, it is important that we understand what sharing really is. Sharing is the art of allocation that allows children to  learn the division and separation of items they hold dear. Learning to share can help kids develop various behavioral traits that are otherwise impossible to edify.

How to teach sharing?

This section will  highlight a few tips that can prove to be effective on the journey of teaching kids the art of sharing. Here is what you can do to evoke the sense of sharing in your child:

• Kids usually develop an infatuation for a toy and keep it all for themselves. Use a timer and communicate with your kid that after a certain time, the other sibling will have the toy. Similarly, the other sibling should be aware that after some time, the toy will go back to the elder sibling.
• Avoid buying additional toys. It is a very common practice in most households to decorate a child’s room with an opulent collection that stays until the kid goes off to college or moves out of the room.
• Tell your child that if he will not share with his friends, they will not share with him either.
• If your child fails to adopt the habit of sharing, take away the item or toy in question. Correspond to your child that if he doesn’t want to share, then no one will play with the toy.
• Never scream or yell at your child, but speak firmly and let him know about your reprimand. Yelling and scolding can only make children more annoyed, which can have devastating consequences.
• Sometimes children become increasingly infatuated with a certain toy and are unable to bear the separation. If your child screams or yells upon the idea of sharing his toy with the other kid, then give him some time out and talk to him. Educate your child about the value of sharing; how happy it can make others and how it can help create strong affiliations.
• Provide children with the tools that can help them learn sharing. Commercial playground equipment and other play structures can be a great way to allow kids affiliate and learn sharing.
• Usually, parents discourage their kids to share their expensive toys with the neighboring children, fearing that the toys might get damaged.  If you are having a party or a play date, make sure to put some toys away and allow your child to share the other toys with the children.
• Try to teach kids by example; parents are a great example for kids, show your kids how to share through your own example.
• Start early. The sooner the kids get introduced to the idea of sharing, the stronger foundation they will develop regarding the concept. Outdoor playground equipment and other play structures allows kids to handle complex peer relationships that help in the development of good sharing habits. Therefore, make sure that your child spends ample time in the playground.