Throughout a child’s early years, they learn many essential skills that prepare them for future educational endeavours and even adulthood. For toddlers and young children, one of the key skills for building friendships and patience is sharing. Although this complex concept is challenging to comprehend in the early years, children are introduced to sharing through guidance from both nursery staff and parents. Whether it’s teaching a turn-taking game or sharing a toy during playtime, children can build strong social skills by sharing with their peers.
At Sneakers Nurseries, we strive to encourage each child to navigate social interactions with confidence, learning essential skills such as sharing along the way, which are key to building meaningful relationships. Through play, group sessions, and positive role modelling, toddlers can begin to see the true importance of sharing. In this blog post, we’ll explain everything you need to know about sharing for preschoolers, including the benefits, effective ways to practice this skill, and how our nursery in Winyates embeds it into the daily routine.
When to Introduce the Concept of Sharing?
Sharing is a skill that is not introduced from the very beginning of a child’s life. For babies, this is not an essential concept that needs to be taught at this stage. However, as children grow and become more sociable, especially with other children their age, understanding this and implementing turn-taking in daily interactions is valuable, creating smoother social experiences.
While parents can introduce the concept of sharing, participation in nursery school is a key way to show children small acts of sharing, in digestible ways, the ideal introduction for little ones building social skills alongside their peers. Using age-appropriate activities and lots of role-modelling, children develop their social skills and embed sharing into their routines.
Why Teaching Sharing & Turn-Taking is So Important
There are many reasons why children should learn how to share and take turns with others, helping them face social interactions with ease. Boosting patience, cooperation, and team-building skills, children who understand the importance of sharing can find it easier to play with their friends without feeling frustrated when things don’t always go their way.
At a reputable nursery, like the Park Lodge Day Nursery, a safe and welcoming environment is created where children can learn these all-important social skills. Whether it’s a sharing activity or waiting for a particular book or toy, children can face these challenges with greater patience and confidence, allowing them to consider others’ feelings throughout the process.
The Social Benefits of Encouraging Sharing at Nursery
Sharing at nursery is a key part of the daily routine, particularly for slightly older toddlers preparing for primary school, as it opens up a broad range of opportunities and offers significant social benefits along the way.
Here are some of the key social benefits that sharing has to offer:
- Stronger Friendships: Children can play and socialise with their friends more as they can happily take turns with toys, games, and activities.
- Emotional Resilience: Allowing others to have a particular toy or book helps children build emotional resilience as they overcome frustration and learn to compromise.
- Greater Patience: Waiting to have a turn in a game or activity helps toddlers build patience, a key skill used in everyday life.
- Improved Teamwork Skills: Many games require teamwork and can only be completed when everyone contributes. This means children can understand the value of themselves and others.
While there are many smaller skills within the social interaction umbrella, preschool children who develop a confident ability to take turns and share toys, books, or even the attention of others can overcome future social challenges, as they are socially aware of others and their feelings.
Building Emotional Resilience Through Sharing with Others
While the early stages of practising sharing and turn-taking can be challenging, they help children develop resilience and understand the reasoning behind sharing with others. Throughout this time, little ones may experience frustration, patience, and a sense of reward, all of which are fundamental to development.
At Park Lodge Day Nursery, the staff are aware of how various emotions are felt during the turn-taking process and are there to offer reassurance and positive reinforcement for those who try to share and consider other feelings. This can help children overcome small challenges and feel more confident in handling interactions independently.
Key Tips For Encouraging Children as They Learn to Share
One of the most effective ways to encourage children to embed sharing into their social lives is to remain positive and consistent. Here are some of the go-to ways that parents can motivate their little ones:
- Positive Reinforcement: Parents can use verbal praise to recognise the child’s attempts to share or take turns, a great way to motivate the child to continue this behaviour going forward.
- Speak about Emotions: Saying how you feel when you share can be a great way to highlight the positive feelings that come from involving or including someone else.
- Stories about Sharing: Reading stories that focus on sharing can help little ones who find it difficult to see characters making kind gestures and how to compromise with others.
- Modelling Positive Behaviour: Showing how sharing looks in day-to-day life can give your child real-life examples. They are more likely to model this positive behaviour in their own lives.
These are only some of the ways children can practice this vital social skill. With lots of amazing ideas online, too, parents can experiment and explore creative sharing strategies to strengthen their little one’s social skillset.
How Our Nursery Embeds Sharing Into Daily Routine
Sharing is naturally incorporated into the daily routines at preschool. If you’re looking for a Winyates Nursery, Park Lodge Day Nursery ensures children feel safe and secure as they navigate the social aspects of nursery. From snack time to outdoor play, children are encouraged to share resources, take turns with peers, and communicate their feelings.
Our preschool team uses storytelling, creative tasks, and group discussions to help toddlers understand the true importance of sharing. Our calm, nurturing environment allows children to feel safe as they practise new social skills. With a consistent, relaxed introduction to this new concept, little ones can overcome hurdles and celebrate the successes of nursery socialisation.
Looking for Preschool? Choose Park Lodge Day Nursery
Nursery is one of the first settings where children socialise with others their age, interact each day, and learn new skills along the way. One of the first hurdles toddlers face when interacting with peers is learning how to share. As the concept of turn-taking is new to young children, it is important to teach it gently and incorporate it into daily life, allowing little ones to practice it during preschool play.
If you’re searching for a nursery in Redditch, look no further than the Park Lodge Park Day Nursery. As part of Sneakers Nurseries, we are proud of the warm, inclusive environments we have created, providing children with a truly safe space to learn, play, and grow. Our daily routine provides short bursts of sharing opportunities, laying secure social-skill foundations for every child and helping them build strong peer relationships. Email lodgepark@sneakerschildcareltd.co.uk to book a visit to our preschool today.
