How to Teach Children to Share a Bedroom

The bonding siblings experience by sharing a room is often overshadowed by the disagreements on things like sharing the space, privacy and cleaning. Some bickering is bound to happen, but teaching your kids to share the space can help keep the peace. Setting boundaries, teaching communication skills and giving each child ownership in the room are all components of helping kids live together in a shared space. With consistency and learning opportunities, your kids can navigate the differences that occur when sharing a room.

Things You'll Need

  • Chore chart

Instructions

    • 1

      Set rules for using the bedroom. For example, if one child uses the bedroom to study, the other child must either do something quiet that isn't distracting, or go to another room. Set general rules, such as not touching the personal belongings of each other without permission. The boundaries teach the kids how you expect them to behave and may reduce problems.

    • 2

      Divide the room to give each child her own space. Physical barriers, such as a movable divider wall, are an option, but the arrangement of the furniture also works. For example, you might place one bed on one side of the room and the other bed on the opposite wall. Each child has her bed and the immediate area as her area. This gives each child a place to control that is hers.

    • 3

      Set up shared space within the room where the kids can play together. For example, add a bookshelf and beanbag chairs to create a shared library area. Be clear that both children can use these areas, but that both need to respect it and put things away when done.

    • 4

      Create an organizational system for the shared bedroom. Sort toys into specific bins or storage containers with labels so the kids can sort themselves. An established system helps both kids keep the space tidy and reduces arguments about where things go. Teach the kids how to use the organizational system. Say, "These tubs are for your toys. See how each tub has a picture? That tells you which toys go inside. When you're done playing, you need to put the toys back in the correct tubs."

    • 5

      Establish a cleaning schedule for the shared space to reduce messes and arguments. List specific cleaning tasks, such as picking up toys, putting dirty laundry in the hamper, putting away clean laundry, dusting and sweeping. Rotate the assigned chores so one child isn't always stuck doing a chore he dislikes.

    • 6

      Practice sharing and communicating during playtiime. Give the kids a role-playing scenario that might happen when sharing a bedroom. Let them act out how they could handle it. You might say, "Let's pretend your sister took your favorite toy without asking and broke it. What would you say and do?" Switch roles so the kids see the situation from a different perspective.

    • 7

      Mediate arguments over the shared bedroom without taking sides or judging either child's actions. Encourage the kids to express how they are feeling and why they feel that way instead of just arguing. Suggest ways to solve the disagreement if the kids cannot figure it out on their own.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • How to Get a Social Security Number for Your Child
      Social security numbers are a necessity to claim your child as a dependent for tax purposes. A social security number may be necessary if you open a bank account, obtain medical insurance, buy savings bonds or apply for government services for your c
    • How to Deal With Your Child's Negative Attitude
      As children get older, many parents find themselves in a power struggle with their kids. Pre-teens and teens, in particular, seem to have a whatever attitude toward school, homework, housework, responsibilities and life in general. You might find you
    • What is Interrole Conflict?
      Interrole conflict arises from a person occupying a certain role having issues when expectations foranother role occupied by that person comes into play. For example, interrole conflict can take place in a marriage when a woman is both a mother and a