Children can be reluctant to share anything and this isn’t anything new it’s part of their learning process. You can help your child learn how to share with others. Here are some suggestions.

As children grow up they will go through various stages of sharing. The child under two years old will be very reluctant to share anything so you shouldn’t expect this of small children. As children reach three or four and interact more with children their own age they will be more open to sharing with others. Children will however have a few possessions that they are reluctant to share with anyone as they grow up. For example, a child won’t share treasures like a teddy bear or that favorite blanket with anyone and you shouldn’t expect them to.

Don’t Force the Sharing
Don’t force any sharing on a child. They view toys and other possessions as very important to them. You need to create an environment where sharing can be encouraged. Watch how your child behaves in a group of children. Your child should naturally learn to share as they play with more children. This isn’t something you can force onto them because it’s part of their learning process.

Get Involved
Get involved with their play and ask if you can use one of their toys. This will show them that sharing can be fun and that you can contribute to their play too. The child will see that if mom or dad can use the toy and give it back then another child will do this too. Your child will begin to see that sharing is something worth doing with others. Play is more fun when other people are involved and you can’t do that without sharing toys or other objects.

Show Generosity
When you’re around your child, you should show generosity. Give them some of their snack but ask if you can use one of their toys. They will see how sharing can help them. Show them that sharing can have rewards. They will learn that if they share something they could get something just as good in return. If you have more than one child then divide up your time between them to teach sharing so the other child doesn’t feel left out.

Give a Time Limit for a Toy or Other Object
Try giving time limits for a toy and when the tome is up the child has to share it with someone else. Don’t make this a long period just a couple of minutes. This way the toy gets passed around. You can do this when there’s a squabble over a toy with two or more children. Once the timer is up take the toy gently from your child and hand it to the other one. This will show them how to share and take turns and it’s a valuable life lesson.

Patience
Teaching your child to share will take tine so don’t force it on them. They will learn how to share with some guidance from you. Give them opportunities to share so they can learn how to do it properly.