Teaching sharing is one of the current problems we have. That annoying toddler stage of "what's mine is mine and so is everything else if I want" seems to be something they all go through, but it is something they need to grow out of. Fortunately the cat doesn't share, and an annoyed paws (the claws were in) got the point across as much as anything we've said. Where do you draw the line though? You don't want the child to think everything has to be shared (see the stranger's child in the park who though he had a right to 'share' my laptop), but teaching them how to make and accept a polite refusal is really difficult.
I think as parents, they should teach their kids that it's always best to share with relatives and friends, but be wary of sharing with strangers. They should also emphasize that giving is better than receiving, since it's better to be in a position of giving than to be in a position of being in need.
This is a very good thread. Toddlers have the nature of being selfish so parents should see that angle which is reason for them to teach their toddlers the value of sharing. I usually being the "workshop" with the toddler's toy. That is his most precious possession that when he learns to share it then you are on the road to victory. Next step is the food but I find that sharing food is much easier than teaching the toddler to share his toy. Nevertheless, it is the parent's call on how to teach the toddler, there are many ways, you know.
Children should be taught to share beginning with the parent. A good place to start is to ask them to share with you a snack you have just given them. If they refuse, get something else and tell them to exchange with their snack. Then share the same with somebody else. Kids learn by watching and it won't take long for them to inculcate the virtue.
Its easy to teach a child to share by showing them how to share with friends. They will follow what they see but telling them which things they can and can't share is tricky. I always play with our neighbor daughter. One time when I pick her up in day care center since her mom has an emergency, I saw her sharing her milk to her seatmate. This is not the first time I saw her sharing her milk to someone. We already told her not to share her bottle of milk to someone but she will answer she only sharing it to her friend. Now her mom is keeping an eye in things she she share.
There's some great advice here. In addition to what's already been posted, you may find this article useful: How To Teach Your Toddler To Share Of course it doesn't cover everything, and I know the community here has a lot of great things to add to it as well.
It is hard to teach toddler to share something. Here my sister's kid is around 3 year. But she never share her toys. In fact she used to take others and other kids used to do same things. Lol. I guess I have seen almost all kids with this kind of nature only. We have tried many times to teach her but nothing works. I guess only time can teach them. I mean they will be okay with time when they and their mind will grown up.
I think the parents can be the best examples of this. Kids will mimic what you do, so from an early age, we should teach them that sharing is good and that you can have more fun when you share. it's better for them to learn early, than making them share later on. Forcing them to do it, later on, will most likely not work since they'll see it as an obligation.
One of the best ways I think we can teach our kids to share is to demonstrate that kindness to others while they keep observing and learning to emulate that character from us the parents. Children learn fast from watching the actions of others. Just teaching literally or forcing them to know how to share with others may not be as successful as we practicing it before them.
It's hard to teach sharing to a toddler if it's too late. the reason why you need to be hands on when it comes to raising kids is so you can mold them while they are young. If they are selfish as small kids and you noticed it, then you can correct it then and there. Sharing isn't really hard to teach to a toddler, start with small things like snacks or toys and let the kid share it with the family members. Then from there, as the kid grows, you can teach him what to share, who to share it with.