By Cameron Eittreim

If there is one important aspect of raising a toddler it is sharing, and most young children are still new to this concept. Incorporating sharing into your daily play routine doesn’t have to be a challenge and it doesn’t have to induce tears or fears. But, a good mommy or daddy will know how to utilize the child's new play rug to their advantage. Teaching your children the importance of sharing can be a lot easier with the use of an IVI World play rug, but don’t just take my word for it. Children need sharing to incorporate social skills with other children, as well as the ability to set boundaries.

Explaining the concept of sharing to a toddler can be intimidating at first. You have to wonder how the toddler will take the information in, and they are more receptive than you might think. To get your toddler into the sharing mode it is just a matter of teaching and implementing. Sharing teaches a lot more than just splitting the toys between each other, sharing also teaches toddlers about compromise and fairness. With the right tools and the right play rug from IVI World you can make the sharing process something that is very fun and educational. Dive in with us as we explore some fun and easy ways to teach your toddlers about the concept of sharing.

Helping your child learn about sharing

Children pick up a lot just by watching us, so teaching your child to share can be fun and interactive. You should work to incorporate sharing into your daily routine, whether it be sharing dishes or candy with each other. Every aspect of your day is going to be taken up by small bits of sharing so that your child can pick up on the positive habits. If you have multiple children then you can make sharing into a fun game, with the premise at the end. While you might think that teaching a young child to share can be difficult, it actually isn’t.

Making sharing into a fun game with lots of singing will teach them faster than anything. Sharing doesn’t have to be something that starts fights between the children. By incorporating the aspect that sharing is a natural part of life your children will do it more freely. Sharing should be the focal point of your child's early education. Sure, you can teach letters and numbers as well but sharing should be the main concept that you are teaching.

When your child finds it challenging to share

Don’t kid yourself, teaching your child to share is not going to be a super easy thing to do. Which is why you need to add the element of fun and structure to it, because without it your child will of course have some reservations. There are always going to be reservations when a child has to give up their toy to another, but this is where you can set the standard that sharing is a normal and natural thing to do. The problem is that a lot of parents wait too long to teach their child the concept of sharing, and once it has become too late it can be hard to reverse.

Talking and singing is always the most effective way to teach a child how to share when they are having a problem grasping the concept. Using graphics and coloring to illustrate sharing to your young child is an effective way for them to learn. The younger that your child is the harder it is going to be for them to comprehend. So taking the time to teach slowly and calmly will help your child to have fun and embrace the concept of sharing.

Using the play rug to your advantage

Perhaps one of the most wonderful tools for teaching your child how to share is the IVI World play rug. No matter what style or size you choose the play rug is an excellent way to teach your children how to share. Kids are going to play together naturally, and a play rug encourages this without the fuss and muss of playing outside. A clean play rug with the 3D design will give your child the chance to lay their toys out for a friend to join. Sharing will come natural and you’ll notice that the fighting will subside fairly easily.

There are sure to be periods where your child will get in an argument as it concerns sharing, but this can be remedied pretty quickly. Once you start to encourage the process of sharing your child will grasp it. Sharing doesn’t have to be stressful, and it doesn’t have to cause conflict between young children. If you teach sharing early on then your child will do a lot better in school as they get older. Play rugs make a great way to teach children how to share with minimal effort and maximum fun.

Sharing at different ages

As children get older it becomes different as to how they learn how to share. A two-year old is not going to grasp the concept the same way that a full grown toddler will. It definitely helps to visualize what you are trying to teach. Toddlers learn better with singing so you can incorporate this to make them learn a lot faster. Older children such as elementary schoolers are often already set in their path and it can be difficult to introduce sharing this late in the game. It can be done but you are going to be in for an uphill challenge.

Expecting your child to learn how to share right off the bat is unrealistic. It will take some work to get them into the routine of sharing. As with riding a bicycle or anything else you have to take the time to walk them through it. I’m not saying that you need to go super slow, but it does help to walk the child through the concept of sharing over the course of a few days. Don’t just try to introduce the concept right away, because you’ll overwhelm the child and the concept of sharing will be harder to learn.

Don’t stress out if they don’t grasp it right away.

Learning to share is like learning anything else, you have to practice, practice, and practice. Your child will embrace the concept of sharing if you break it down in teachable moments. Your child might not learn how to share right away, and some children take even more time to learn then a week. But, with constant reinforcement and a supportive atmosphere you can teach your child how to share and have fun doing it. 

How do you incorporate sharing in your toddler's day? Let us know in the comments below!