Today’s Parenting Tip:

Decide:    You can help your child share.

Practice:    Make a playtime “rules” chart with your child. If the child is very young, use pictures.

• Make one rule be about taking turns. Here is one way to take turns that will help children trust that they will get a turn.  If more than one child wants to play with the same toy, an adult can keep a list of those that want the toy and use a timer to make sure those on the list get a turn.
• Make one rule be about toys that are not for sharing (for example, something a child brings to your house that he doesn’t want to share or your child’s comfort toy that he needs to have nearby, but is not to be shared).  Here is one possible rule for that situation. That toy must stay with an adult and the child can have it only while he is sitting next to the adult.

For the next several days, stay with the children at playtime and enforce the rules chart. When there is a problem take the children to the chart and remind them of the rule that helps with the problem. You may need to do this several times while children get used to the rules.

Let us know which tips you like the best or any others you think of that you want to pass along to others.

Today’s Decide and Practice daily parenting tip was inspired by our featured picture book, KATIE AND THE PUPPY NEXT DOOR.  Read the book to a child in your life each day as a reminder of what you are deciding and practicing that day.

Come back each day for another good parenting decision and how to practice it. (Each day’s activity will also be posted on Daily Parenting Tips page for easy access.)

Read the whole story at Kids and Sharing pt 2.