…SHARE!

How many times I cringe when I hear a 1 year old being told to share! Imagine a stranger coming up to you in the street and tells you to “share” your phone! I bet my hand in the fire you won’t “share” it!

Let’s make sure we use the right terminology: “Sharing” is dividing something into equal parts, sharing sweets, sharing a cake, sharing a seat…Therefore to tell a toddler to share the truck he is holding doesn’t make sense. How about we start with teaching our toddlers to take turns. “Now it is Emma’s turn to play with the truck, then it is your turn”, with the added bonus to learn patience.

And no, your child won’t grow up to be a selfish little brat. He/she will naturally share with children they choose to do it with, I have witnessed this many times without having to teach to share.

So once again, RELAX people! Indirect learning of sharing can start with games that involve turns taking, so enjoy the games with your little ones.

Are you using the word “share” too much?