Sharing Games for Toddlers

There is a phase in every toddler's life where "Mine!" seems to be his favorite word. Sharing does not come naturally for young children, so it falls upon the parents to make sure the child accomplishes this skill in order to make friends as a preschooler or older child. When the toddler is with friends of the same age, try initiating some fun activities that will encourage sharing. Parents can then praise the child which will reinforce the behavior.

  1. Mommy and the Doctor

    • Three items are needed for this game for two children: a baby doll, a toy bottle, and a toy stethoscope. Give one toddler the stethoscope to be the doctor, and the other toddler the bottle to be the mommy or daddy. They will focus on the role-playing aspect of the game of taking a baby to the doctor. Before you know it they will be passing the baby back and forth willingly. When the children want, they can switch their roles, trading the bottle for the stethoscope. Because each child has a part to play, and both get to hold the baby some of the time, this typically ends up being a successful cooperative game.

    Music Time

    • Let children share and play instruments in a band.

      Toddlers love music, and parents should invest in some small musical instruments for children to play. For a group of children, Clever Toddler Activities suggests passing out one instrument to each child to form a band. Toddlers will naturally at some point want to play one of the other instruments that another child has, but they usually figure out that if they switch and share, they still get to play an instrument, and the game is much more fun if everyone gets to make noise.

    Creating Together

    • One way to get cooperation from toddlers is to engage them in a project together. Baby Center suggests giving each child some modeling dough and showing them how to make pretend cookies. While they are busy working, they may realize they have different colors of dough and willingly share some of theirs with their friends so that they can continue with the task.
      For another activity, give children a large piece of paper and some crayons and ask them to make a big picture together. Again, while focused on the task, they will likely share crayons back and forth during the process, which can be pointed out and praised by parents.

    Playing Ball

    • Balls are easy to share, even for toddlers.

      Balls are the exact opposite of other types of toys because no child wants to keep a ball in his hand. A young child who picks up a ball cannot help but throw it or kick it, and that gives another child the opportunity to pick it up and do the same. If indoors, sit children down with legs spread apart and encourage children to roll a soft ball to each other. Outdoors, direct the children to kick the ball back and forth, or bring out several balls that can be thrown and kicked, yet shared between the children.

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