How to encourage sharing

There was a time a few months ago when I wondered at what age our girls would start to notice and more importantly interact with each other.

Well, that time has come but instead of playing nicely together it appears that it is much more fun to take things off each other. It doesn’t matter if it’s a toy, food or even a piece of cardboard they always seem to want what the other has!

We do have moments where they do interact with each other. For example the other day the girls were sat in front of each other and M was pointing at R. In response to this R opened her mouth allowing M to place her finger inside! I thought uh oh, R is bound to bite down on M’s finger but she didn’t. Instead the two of them started laughing and repeating what they were doing!

Also when I was bathing the girls to other day, M thought it was hilarious to poke R’s belly!

I love those moments when they entertain each other!

Anyway, back to the point of this post and I wonder how do you encourage sharing?

If one takes something off the other, I always give it back and offer an alternative. I explain that they should share and if they want something that the other has then they should ask if they can have it instead of just taking it. I know they’re too young to understand but I guess starting now is as good a time as any, right?

I read the other day that one lady gets her children to get things for each other. For example, if going out for a walk the simple task of getting each others coats and gloves can help teach them to share. I think this is a great idea and its definitely something I’ll be adopting as our girls grow up.

How do you encourage your children to share?