Learning to share

• email
• save PDF
• print

In reality, children are constantly learning about sharing. They are always learning to play fairly and cooperatively. You can help children learn to share by:

• letting them know how to share
• encouraging them when they try
• praising them when they share well.

Toddlers

Your toddler will have little idea about sharing. Toddlers believe that they are the centre of the world and that everything belongs to them.

Children might start to understand the concept of taking turns by the age of three. But they will still be likely to have a tantrum if a toy is taken away.

At this age, your child will still find it hard to wait for anything.

Preschoolers

By preschool age, children know a bit more about the idea of sharing. But they might not be keen to put the idea of sharing into action.

You might need to encourage preschoolers to share with other children. You can remind them how bad they would feel if someone took their toy. When you talk to children about other children’s feelings, you help build their sense of empathy.

But preschoolers are still very much living in their own heads. They have little understanding that other people also have thoughts and emotions.

You’ll find that preschoolers are able to wait a bit longer for things, but they will still be impatient at times.

School-age children

By the time children are at school, they start to understand that other people have feelings separate from their own. They get the idea of taking turns and sharing. But they still need you to remind and support them when it comes to sharing.

At this age, children are much more patient and tolerant. They are keen to do the right thing. Your child is now able to form more complex relationships, which really helps with the idea of sharing.

• Rated11 ratingsRate this item
• FeedbackTell us what you think of this item
• Your story Share your parenting tips