Little kids tend to hoard toys and other things and just don’t want to share, isn’t it? I am sure we all would have experienced this with little kids around us. However, we all do realise that the importance of sharing and teaching kids that sharing is important has an important role to play in the child’s overall development.

We as young moms must encourage our little ones to share and when they do so, also make sure that we appreciate and praise their gestures. The bigger question now that arises is that how do I teach my little kid who is about to start going to a pre-school, how to share?

Let us look at 5 very simple and engaging activities to teach our little ones how to share –

Go to the Shop: Take your child with you to the nearby candy shop. Tell him that today we are not only going to buy candies for him but also for his siblings and cousins. Help your child choose what he wants to buy for his brothers and sisters. Once you are home, let your child only distribute it to them. This helps in developing the sense of giving and sharing in the child. Once the child is done, do make sure that you praise him or clap for him to appreciate what he has done.

 Let’s do it together: Tell your child that we are going to paint a big picture today and that you are going to do it together. So it’s not the child alone painting it but you also with him. Decide together what you both are going to paint today and tell the child that as you do not have colours, he should give you some so that you can also paint. During the painting, do things together, ask him to pass on things to you and so on. Also, make sure that during the process you also share something with the child.

Neighbours: Next time you need something from your neighbours or your neighbours call on you for some help, make sure you little one is part of the conversation. Once you have taken or given something, make sure you point it out to your child that that’s what sharing is all about and it is important for us to help others as we may also require their help some day.

 Do it yourself and show it: During the day, you can use simple ways to show your little one that you are sharing. Point it out specifically to him that you are sharing so that the concept gets disseminated. For example, cut an apple into 4 pieces and tell your child that you are going to share your apple with him. Say that two pieces are for him and two are for you.

 Kids Party: Plan a little lunch together of your child’s friends. However, the format of the party is going to be that each child will get a tiffin from home. When all the kids are together, divide them into teams of two each. Then in each team, the children would be asked to open their tiffin and share one thing with their team member. This way, will they not only enjoy something from the other’s tiffin but also learn how to share. In the end, make sure you emphasize on the thought of sharing and how it was so much more fun for them when they shared.

Do try these activities with your little ones and see how they learn the art of sharing.