Teaching Your Child to Share

No child instinctively wants to share. Sharing comes from necessity and from learning. The learning is likely to be painful.

Having siblings is the surest but most painful way to learn to share. Sharing toys with peers can be a smoother path to learning since it doesn't involve sharing parents.

During the second and third years, offer your child a choice when peers come over to play: "You decide which toy or toys your friend can play with. We'll put the others away where they'll be safe." When the friend arrives, remind your child that she was the one who decided what the other child could play with. Expect protests. Read More...