Sharing- An important value that helps growth!

Sharing is an important life skill.

Learning to share is vital, which is a challenge for many young children. They need to develop it as it is required while they cooperatively play and learn.

Sharing teaches compromise and to be fair, it teaches them to negotiate when required, to give and take and most importantly to cope with disappointment.

Young children are focused on their own feelings and want things they see for themselves. They need to be taught to share with grace. This skill needs to be developed slowly with utmost care and patience. However it needs to be developed, after all, this is the skill that we carry into adulthood.

Helping your child share means demonstrating the act yourself. After all, children do not listen to adults, they follow them.

1-    Encourage the child even if they snatched a toy and say something like, “I know you took it as it is so lovely and colorful. I’m sure ‘child No.2' wants it for the same reason. Would you like to give it to him to see and feel it as well? Then you can take turns and bring out another toy that can be used together. You can turn to the other child and say, I understand waiting is difficult, however, when you get the toy, you’re going to enjoy it more.

2-    Provide the emotional support the child may need. They are bound to get teary and feel disappointed. Children need to feel understood. It may be important to acknowledge their emotion and validate it. They will feel accepted.

3-    Help the child find a solution. Get them to talk to their siblings/friends and come up with ways to work out the situation. Here it is important to support both children. If we can encourage our children to be problem-solvers and create win-win situations, it will help them grow up to be compassionate and empathetic.

Some more things that can be done-

- Start sharing things with the family/friends in front of children so they can see that it is perfect to share. Also share with the child. You can start with sharing food or a book or a pencil with the child.

- Encourage and praise them for even an act of sharing that they’ve demonstrated.

- If they are reluctant to share, give them space and help and encourage them. Do not give up as it is difficult for them to share at first, slowly with time, they will learn and understand its importance. However remember not to get disappointed yourself and give up. You have to coax and cajole the child into sharing by demonstrating it even more. Talk about the benefits of having more toys when they share. Take them to libraries and toy stores where they have to share what they have in order to get what they want.

- If the child still doesn’t share, you may want to take the toy temporarily and not allow either child to play with it so they understand the consequence of it.

As they grow, most children learn to share especially when they want to use what another has.

So let’s be patient! Encourage and praise and let’s not give up. Let’s not make our children selfish else they may find it difficult to cope up when they grow.