Time to Share

How do you teach your children to be generous?

Learning to share is a major accomplishment for a young child. But for parents, teaching this skill can be frustrating. Here, parents tell us how they are instilling this important value in their youngsters.

"Whenever my husband and I have the opportunity to share something with our four-year-old son, Max, we speak of our eagerness to do so. If Max follows up with an act of sharing, we applaud him and call him Max the Master Sharer. Now that Max has a new baby sister, Madison, he's already showing her the values of sharing. He even lets her play with his prize teddy bear, Jingle. (That is, as long as she doesn't try to eat it!)"
Marcia Dosser
Johnson City, TN

"If my 2 1/2-year-old son won't share a toy with a friend, I have them take turns playing with the item. I'll set my kitchen timer at one minute, and when it goes off, the child with the toy knows it's the other child's turn. After I've done this once or twice, one of the children usually becomes interested in another toy, and the problem has been solved."
Jill P. Tolbert
Greenville, SC

"We talk with our three-year-old daughter about how important it is to share, and then show her ways that she can do so. For instance, she helps us choose clothing to donate to charity. She also comes along when we buy food to give to the local food banks. We feel these activities are teaching her the importance of generosity. In fact, last Christmas she chose some of her own toys and announced that she wanted to give them to kids who didn't have as many as she had."
Ellen White
Annandale, NJ

"From the time my son, Alex, learned to speak, I would point out when someone was sharing with him. For instance, I'd say to another child with whom he was playing, "Thank you for sharing that toy with Alex." When his sister was born, we explained to Alex that being a big brother meant helping her learn to share. So far, he's been setting a good example."
Sue Mitchum
Pleasanton, CA

"My two-year-old son, Nathan, and I often go to the park, and we bring along two sets of toys: one for him to share with other kids and another for him to keep for himself. It's up to him whether other children can play with his own set. I've found that he is more comfortable sharing and taking turns with toys when he can make the decisions."
Melissa Freibott
Ontario, CA

"I encourage my boys to trade their toys rather than just grab the ones they want. They've heeded my suggestion because I've often heard one say, "Let's trade," and the other reply, ‘That's a great idea!'"
Deanne Castaneda
Woodland, CA

"Whenever our 3-year-old son would take away a toy from his 18-month-old brother, we would ask him, "Can you choose another toy for your brother to play with?" Now he puts up less of a fuss when he sees his brother playing with one of his toys, and often, without even being asked, offers his brother another toy."
Lorelei Walker
Charlevoix, MI

"Our family sings at a local nursing home, and we always explain to our four-year-old son, Nicholas, why we feel it is important to share our time. We also let him fill our food-donation bag each month."
Julie M. Mueller
Garretson, SD

A collection of contributions from Sesame Street Parents readers.