Here are a few tips from a daycare in Kanata that can help you teach your kids about sharing
It is common for kids to resist sharing when they are young because they have yet to learn about this concept and social skill. Kids may think a toy in daycare belongs to them because they like it, but it is actually a shared toy for everyone to enjoy. The concept of “mine, yours, and ours” is an important one to grasp when teaching kids about sharing and cooperation, and it can be taught at a young age through various activities. The following tips from a daycare in Kanata can help you teach your kids about sharing both at home and in daycare.
POST SHARING RULES ON A POSTER
Create a poster with your sharing rules and go over these rules with your kids using puppets or stuffed animals to show examples of sharing and cooperation. Refer back to the poster whenever your kids are having trouble sharing. These rules could include:
• ASK first if you want to use something;
• WAIT for the person to finish using something before you use it;
• HELP each other.
PLAN SHARING ACTIVITIES-
Activities that have a joint effort will encourage cooperation and sharing. These include cooking, gardening, and building things such as sand castles. Kids will each have a task to work on and can take turns doing other tasks—such as mixing the cake mix, or watering the garden daily. These activities can teach kids that team work is fun.
KEEP SPECIAL TOYS SEPARATE
Most kids have that one special toy that they can’t go anywhere without. These special toys are not going to be shared easily, so they are best kept separate when your kids are playing with others. If at daycare, keep the special toy in your kid’s cubby for the day, and when at home, put special toys away before a playdate.
Kids can also learn that some things are shared and some things are not—what is “mine, yours, and ours”—by labeling their toys with specific stickers and having a shared toys area and a separate toy box labelled for each of your kids.
Teaching your kids about sharing at a young age will help them learn social skills, adjust better to social situations, and be more cooperative with peers both in daycare and throughout their lives.
