Tips To Help You Teach Your Kids The Fine Art Of Sharing

Expecting the kids to share things and be happy about it seems to be the dream for every parent. However, pleasing as it sounds, it is still a dream that takes a ton of efforts to bring to a reality. Teaching the kids to share and share happily is a pleasure that eludes all parents, irrespective of which country you are from or whether or not you live in a nuclear or a joint family. If you are a parent, it is likely that you have had or are having trouble in teaching your kids this essential life art.
Here are a couple of tips which can help you teach your kids the fine art of sharing:

Don’t make them share

Kids need some sacred space and some possessions that are just for them, so before we have any playdates at our place, it is important to keep a check on whether your kids are cool with the kids who are coming, going into their rooms and if not, the play date is outside/in the lounge room.Following right on from this, anything special not wanting to be shared should ideally be put away, especially when there are other kids present. Toys that are ‘for everyone’ should be put in the lounge room and regular sharing rules apply! After all, it is imperative for us to recognize the fact that we, as adults, who might like to share things with others, there are certain special items where we draw the line. If we have boundaries about sharing, we should not refrain from encouraging the same in our children either.

Let them go for it

They might share beautifully but odds are that 3.72 seconds in there will probably be a teachable moment. Once there is a meltdown over a said ‘exclusive toy’, it is ideal that we recognize this as chance to make a great choice and communicate, communicate, communicate!By asking them would they like to share, some of the power struggle is removed and the child will realize they have a choice. If they choose to share, unreal. If not, try to use lines like, “Wow. That’s sad you are choosing not to share, but it is your choice. It just means that people might not want to share their things with you.”

Teach your kids the art of negotiation

A small lesson in the art of negotiation goes a long way with kids. You can start with teaching your kids a small step at a time. Counting while the other person has their turn then swapping, or you can have it before lunch then I’ll have it after lunch, or let’s play with it together are all good examples of what you could initially suggest but kids will eventually start coming up with themselves. Start practicing this with your kids and you will be pleasantly surprised with how quickly and how well children will pick up on sharing.

If all else fails, distract them

If emotions are too high, just distract and come back later. There are times when you are going to be too caught up in the moment to be able to think rationally. In such scenarios, it is best to distract yourselves and the kids and get back to the sharing lessons at a later time.