Made for Play
Explore child development through play, find inspiration for your next DIY project, and discover tips for selecting the perfect toys for your little ones.
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Guide to Starting Kindergarten
You blinked, and your baby is almost a kindergartener! But before you get all misty-eyed at drop off, you’ve got to make sure your little learner is set up for success! Our tips for starting kindergarten will help make sure your kiddo feels prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally, so when it’s finally drop off time, the only tears are yours. Find the Perfect Bedtime You likely already have a set bedtime routine, but you may want to move it earlier in the evening before the big first day! Five year olds need about 10-12 hours of sleep each night, and with early school mornings, they may need to be in bed as early as 6:30 to get the sleep they need! If you think they’ll benefit from hitting the hay a little earlier, start moving their bedtime up in 15-minute increments in the weeks before school until you’ve reached your target time. Master Your Mornings While you’re working on bedtime, it’s also a good idea to practice your morning flows as well! A week or two in advance, start waking them up at the same time they’ll wake up on school mornings. Go through the entire process of getting ready each day, and by the time the real first day rolls around, they won’t be groggy or stressed from rushing to get ready. Prepare Them for a Typical Kindergarten Day Of course, one of the best and easiest things you can do to prepare your child for kindergarten is simply talking about it. Let them know what they can expect and try to build excitement for meeting their teacher, making new friends, and learning new things! If your child has never been to preschool, they may truly not know what to expect, so offer plenty of details – story time, sitting at a desk, playgrounds, the cafeteria, etc.Kids who have already attended preschool will be familiar with most of the basics, but they might still be surprised by some things in kindergarten. Prep them for things like longer days, longer periods of focused instruction, and larger class sizes. Frame it positively – these changes mean they are a big kid, after all!And be sure to listen as well – if your child is expressing nervousness about kindergarten, you can help by dispelling any unnecessary fear and refocusing on the positives while still empathizing with their feelings. Read Books about Going to Kindergarten If talking isn’t enough to build excitement or calm fears, try reading some books about kindergarten as well. They’ll help normalize the school day and make it seem extra fun! Many books feature characters who are nervous about their first day, which may be helpful if your little one has been feeling apprehensive too. And there’s no need to go buy new books – just search “goes to school” or “goes to kindergarten” in your local library’s catalog, and you’re sure to get plenty of titles! Don’t Miss Meet the Teacher Even just a few minutes to see their classroom and meet their new teacher before the first day can help your kiddo feel more confident and prepared on their first day! Create a Kid Study Space Creating a kid-friendly study space isn’t just about homework – it’s about helping your child actually enjoy and feel ownership over studying and reading. So even though kindergarten homework assignments are usually quick and easy, take advantage of the chance to create positive study habits in a space your child enjoys! A study space should be tidy, distraction-free, and ergonomically correct for kids’ smaller bodies. That means a kids’ desk or a booster seat at a regular desk or table.We find that kid-sized furniture definitely adds to the cool factor and helps kids feel like the space is totally their own. Our tips for How to Create a Kid-Friendly Study Desk will encourage them to get involved in decorating and organizing their space. If you don’t have room for a desk, try our Ideas for Setting Up a Kids Reading Corner, or check out our new space-saving Arches Floating Wall Desk and Chair. No matter where they’re working, our 5 Tips to Keep Kids Organized and Focused can help keep the space organized and free from distractions. Make Extra Time for Play & Rest the First Weeks Even for kids who are used to preschool or daycare, the first week of kindergarten is exhausting! They’re meeting new people, learning new rules, and focusing for longer periods of time. Keep your evening and weekend plans to a minimum so your little one can catch up on the rest they need. And while it may seem counterintuitive, they may also crave more time to move around and get active. All that sitting and focusing is tough, especially for very active kids, so pencil in some time to let them get outdoors for child-led play. Check In & Observe With any big change, it’s always a good idea to ask your child how they’re doing and observe them for signs that something isn’t right. Kids who are having a hard time adjusting may act out more, get more reserved or sullen, or have emotional outbursts. While a small adjustment period is normal, if your child just isn’t themselves for more than a few weeks, check in with their teacher to see if they’ve noticed any problems in the classroom. And of course, talk to your child to get their take on how kindergarten is going! With any luck (and these tips!), starting kindergarten will be smooth sailing!
Birthday Activities for Kids
Our Favorite Birthday Activities for Kids We think birthday parties should be fun for everyone – parents included! That’s why we love birthday party activities that are as fun as they are easy. These 8 birthday activities for kids will win you some “cool parent” brownie points with minimal prep and stress, so you can enjoy the party too, Bubble Wrap “Firewalk” This activity is easy, cheap, and a kid favorite! All you need is a large roll of bubble wrap! Roll it out in the yard or down the hall if you’re having an indoor party. Then, the kids get to race across it one at a time. For toddler birthday parties, this might be enough entertainment on its own! For slightly older kids, introduce a few rules to make it more fun. Create teams for and play rounds with different rules like trying to pop the least amount of bubbles one round and the most the next. Use your ears to judge! Nerf Wars Small Nerf blasters can double as a party favor and a birthday activity in one! As long as you’re fine with Nerf darts flying around during the party, the kids are sure to have a blast, and the activity is pretty hands-off for you! If your child is a Nerf fanatic, an outdoor Nerf battle fort might be the perfect birthday gift! Balloon Stompers Each child gets a non-helium balloon tied to their ankle on a long string. Then the fun begins as they chase each other around, trying to stomp and pop on each other’s balloons. The last balloon standing wins! Of course, this game is definitely made for older kiddos since popping a toddler’s balloon is just a recipe for a meltdown. For a more toddler-friendly version, just try a game of “keep up the balloon” instead. DIY Photo Booth Photo booths are all-the-rage these days, and kids love to get in on the fun! Set up a simple backdrop using paper streamers or party decorations and provide a few fun props. Don’t worry about having a camera set up – most parents will be glad to use their phones for the photo opp when it’s their child’s turn! Limbo Never discount the classics! Turn on the music, grab a broom or other stick, and let the kids see how low they can go. Older kids can handle the official limbo rules, while toddlers will have a blast just crawling under the limbo pole! Sidewalk Chalk/ Paint If you’re planning an outdoor party and have some space on your patio, sidewalk art makes for great low-key entertainment. Chalk is fun, but they’ll be even more enticed to join in by the novelty of homemade sidewalk paint! Bubbles Yep… just bubbles! At least for toddlers, popping bubbles provides pretty much endless entertainment, so a bubble machine might be a worthwhile investment. Even older kids enjoy blowing bubbles, so leave out enough bubbles and wands for each guest, and they’re sure to get used! Activity Stations We love the idea of setting up different activity stations that the kids are free to explore on their own. This way, the kids are having fun, and the adults aren’t as busy directing the party. Some of the ideas above – like photo booths, bubbles, and sidewalk painting, work great as activity stations. Other ideas include a water play area, a craft table, puzzles, and any toys that multiple kids can play with at once. Any large outdoor toys are going to be kid magnets, so if you have a swing set, sandbox, or playhouse, you’ve already got a few built-in stations!Planning a party in the warmer months? Check out our Summer Birthday Ideas for even more birthday inspo!
Screen Free Learning Activities for Toddlers
Screen time has its place, but don’t buy into the idea that your toddler needs apps or screens to learn. Toddlers learn best from hands-on experiences, so next time you want to give those little brains a boost, skip the screens and try one of these five screen-free activities for toddlers! Sorting Sorting activities are great for helping your toddlers categorize and create order, helping build their attention and problem-solving skills. There are endless ways to introduce sorting activities to your toddler, so as they begin to master one type of activity, you can move on to something more challenging.If your toddler knows a few colors, color sorting is a great way to start. One classic activity is to paint the different compartments in an egg carton with varying colors and provide craft pom poms for them to sort into the correctly-colored compartments. Of course, you can make it even easier by drawing circles with different colored crayons and sorting small household items into the circles by color. If your toddler is a bit older, try out more advanced categories. For example, they can sort their stuffed animals and figurines into zoo animals, farm animals, and pets – or even African animals, ocean animals, etc. Matching Like sorting, matching is a great cognitive-boosting activity that has endless variations. A super easy way to get started? Gather some socks in a basket and let them find the matches! When you first get started, you can make it easy by choosing sock pairs that are clearly different sizes and colors. As they get more skilled, increase the challenge by only sock pairs that look fairly similar.When they’re ready, try more advanced matching activities like matching pictures of different natural settings to the animal who lives there. You can always find free or low-cost printables for these types of activities! Constructive Play Constructive play is just a fancy term for “building things,” and it’s one of the best ways to build your toddler’s pre-math skills! You can provide different ways to explore constructive play with toys like blocks, building bricks, magnetic tiles, train sets, and even play dough. As your toddler gets older, they’ll start to attempt more complex builds, so be sure to build with them often to give them ideas and direction. Tactile Letters When you incorporate multiple senses and make it fun, you can start promoting letter recognition from a young age. A few of our favorites include: Letters in the sand. Put some play sand or kinetic sand in a tray and provide printed letters for your child to practice copying with their finger in the sand. While they’re still learning their letters, you may only want to introduce one or two letters at a time. Ice cube letters. Purchase an alphabet ice tray for a fun sensory and letter-recognition activity in one. Take all your letter ice cubes outside in a bin, and let your child paint them on a hot day. Talk about each letter as they pick them up! Shaving cream letters. Cover the craft table in shaving cream, and let them start practicing their letters in it! It’s messy but oh-so-fun. Real-world Role Playing Remember that, for toddlers, social and emotional learning is perhaps even more important than learning letters and numbers. Pretend play is one of the main ways your toddler makes sense of the world and their place in it, so encourage it any chance you get… especially when they’re interested in role playing real-life scenarios. Fantasy-based pretend play is great too, but real-world roleplaying is especially helpful for learning social norms, practicing their social skills, and growing their vocabulary. Follow their interests and pretend with them as much as possible. You can also encourage their pretend play by providing toys like dress-up clothes, play kitchens, doctors kits, and other real-life props. For even more immersive pretend play, the Let’s Pretend Pop Ups let you set up an entire restaurant, vet’s office, or grocery store in the playroom in minutes. For more educational play ideas, check out our favorite activities to build your child’s communication skills!
Creative Art Activities for Preschoolers
Preschoolers are natural artists — give them a blank page and some crayons, and they’ll be occupied for quite some time (even if they’re just enthusiastically scribbling!). Beyond being fun, creative play for preschool-aged kids is a crucial part of early childhood development. Through art, little ones explore their imagination, build fine motor skills, and learn to express themselves in ways words can’t always capture. Plus, there’s something magical about watching a child light up as they mix colors or create art with objects from around the house! What Should a Preschooler Be Able to Do? At the preschool stage, kids are developing important fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and creative thinking, so their arts and crafts abilities are all about exploration rather than perfection. Most preschoolers can hold and use crayons, markers, and paintbrushes with increasing control, though their grip may still be a bit unrefined. They can tear, glue, and manipulate paper, experiment with scissors (with supervision), and enjoy hands-on sensory activities like finger painting or modeling with playdough. Keep in mind that, at this age, the focus isn’t on creating picture-perfect artwork but rather on engaging their imagination, practicing problem-solving, and having fun with different textures, colors, and materials. 12 Creative Activities for Preschoolers Stuck in an arts and crafts rut with your preschooler? Add a little excitement back to craft time with these creative art ideas for preschoolers! 1. Make Your Own Paint Making your own paint is surprisingly easy and just might be the fun your preschooler needs to get interested in their art table again! We like this simple recipe for homemade paint with flour. 2. DIY Puzzles Once your preschooler has finished a drawing or painting, extend the fun by asking them if they want to turn it into a puzzle! Let them draw lines throughout the picture and then use safety scissors to cut it into pieces. Then, they can mix it up and work on solving their brand new puzzle! 3. Rain Splatter Painting This creative painting idea doubles as a way to make the most of rainy days! Let your child drop food coloring onto a large piece of thick paper placed on a baking sheet. Take it outside when it’s raining ( a light drizzle or sprinkle works best) and let the rain mix the colors together! The result will always be unique. 4. Art with Natural Materials Your backyard just might have plenty of creative art opportunities! Let your child use garden tools and stones to make their very own “zen garden” in the sandbox. Gather flowers (and yes, weeds count!) to glue to a drawing. Find and paint pinecones. Or if you’re up for a little mess, let your child create a muddy mixture to “paint” with (outside of course!) 5. Kids Camera Let your kids explore a whole new artistic medium: photography! There are plenty of affordable cameras created just for kids (or you can let them use your phone if you’re brave). If they need some inspiration, provide a scavenger-hunt-style list of objects to photograph. 6. Copy a Famous Painting Whether it’s something as classic as Starry Night, or as funky as Andy Warhol’s Soup Cans, most kids will love the chance to recreate something from a “real” artist. Show them a few pieces, let them choose, and provide the colors and materials they’ll need to give it their best shot! (If you have a little perfectionist, remind them that it’s just for fun, and it does NOT need to look exactly like the original to be a success!) 7. Respond to a Piece of Art Instead of copying a piece of art, your child can create something in response to a book, song, or piece of visual art. Maybe they imagine the homes of their favorite characters in a book or make a painting that reminds them of a song. There are no rules! 8. Create a Mosaic You can use anything from pieces of construction paper to extra buttons and coins, to large sequins, Just hand your preschooler a glue stick (or help them with a hot glue gun if needed) and let them get to work! 9. Use Found Items If your preschooler always seems to find random objects on the ground, this project gives them an excuse to collect their little treasures! Let your kids start a “found items” box, and when they have enough, they can use the pieces to create a sculpture or glue onto a picture. For example, they can glue on buttons to create a bunch of balloons, decorate a bird sculpture with real feathers they’ve found, or just combine their pieces into fun, abstract art. 10. Sculpt with Modeling Clay If your child loved (or still loves!) play dough as a toddler, they’re sure to love the slightly more “big kid” challenge of making modeling clay sculptures. If they need some inspiration, we love these original modeling clay ideas. 11. Faux Stain Glass For this project, you’ll need a solution of dish soap, paintbrushes, and different colored cellophane. You or your child can cut the cellophane into any shapes you want to create your stained glass art. You can go for a random mosaic of shapes, or something more intricate. Then, let them paint the dish solution on the window and stick the cellophane to it. It should stick well but come peel right off when you’re ready to clean up! 12. Color Mixing Bottles Fill some used plastic water bottles with water and food coloring in the primary colors (red, yellow, blue). Then, use a funnel to let them combine colors into other empty water bottles, replace the cap, and shake them up. It’s a great way to teach them about color mixing, and they’ll love learning the different combinations they can use to create their favorite colors! FAQ What are some easy preschool crafts for make-believe play? DIY paper crowns are perfect for royal pretend play, cardboard box cars or rocket ships make for exciting adventures, and paper plate animal masks are sure to lead to storytelling fun. What are some May art activities for preschoolers? May is the perfect time for spring-inspired art activities! Preschoolers can create handprint flower bouquets for Mother’s Day, make butterfly collages with tissue paper, or paint bright suns and rainbows to celebrate the season. What are some crafts about friendship for preschoolers? Making friendship bracelets is a classic friendship-themed craft that never gets old! Try making friendship bracelets with beads or pasta. Another idea is crafting "helping hands" by tracing their handprints and then writing or drawing ways they can be a good friend.
Sharing Activities for Toddlers
7 Sharing Activities for Toddlers Teaching your toddler to share doesn’t have to be painful… no, really! These sharing activities for toddlers can help you sneak in some sharing lessons and let your toddler have fun in the process! Pass the Ball It doesn’t get any simpler than this. A classic game of rolling or tossing a ball can help your toddler )learn to willingly give away an object and )see that playing with someone can be a lot more fun than playing alone… even if it means temporarily giving up the toy. Feed the Monster For this activity, you’ll craft a hungry monster (or whatever animal you like) from an old cereal box. Cut out a large hole for the mouth and use paint or construction paper to make a face. Then, it’s time to feed the monster! Fill a bowl with craft pom-poms or dried pasta for the food. Tell your toddler the monster is hungry, and give them a spoon to scoop and “share” with the monster. Sure, it’s not the same as actually sharing with a sibling or friend, but it does let them practice giving something to “someone” else. Choose What to Share This one isn’t a game so much as a pre-playdate activity. If your toddler struggles when they have to share their toys, give them some control and let them choose what to share ahead of time. Let them pick a few “safe” items they don’t have to share, and then put these items away for the playdate. Knowing that they won’t be forced to share their favorite things can help reduce any anxiety and reluctance they feel about sharing.Then, have them pick a few toys they’d like to share. If all goes well, after the playdate you can point out how happy they made their friend because they chose to share. Play Santa Ever notice how much toddlers love being to one to pass out the presents on Christmas day? Keep that sharing attitude alive all year by letting them gather pretend gifts and hand them out to family members or their toy “friends.” Maybe Teddy Bear would like to wear your child’s favorite pair of shoes, and Daddy would love to get a toy truck. Of course, your child won’t actually be giving away their possessions, but even pretending helps them see that sharing can feel great! Add a Santa hat to get them in the spirit, or make it less seasonal and pretend that they’re giving out “thank you” gifts. Crafts (with limited materials) Sharing craft supplies is pretty much an everyday occurrence in preschool, so start getting your little one prepared by sharing craft materials at home. You can work on your own craft or picture as they do and occasionally ask for a crayon, glue stick, etc. Add in a few extra fun items like little gemstones or puffy stickers to let your kiddo get used to leaving enough of the “cool stuff” for everyone. Cook Together Cooking with your child naturally involves a lot of turn-taking and sharing various utensils and ingredients. They’ll love feeling like they’ve contributed to the meal, and they’ll gradually get used to giving up the stirring spoon or taking turns with the rolling pin. You can also practice these skills as you pretend in their play kitchen together – with a lot less mess! Pretend Sharing If your kiddo isn’t buying the whole “Sharing is Caring” thing from you, maybe the message will sink in through a few pretend scenarios. When you’re playing together with their dolls or stuffies, makeup scenarios where the toys have to share an item or take turns doing an activity. The toys’ willingness to share with each other can help demonstrate that sharing can be easy and fun!For more sharing activities and other tips to help your toddler learn to share, see our guide to Teaching Sharing through Play!
Tips for Choosing Quality Toys: Why Investing in Toys That Last Matters
As a parent, you want toys that spark joy, fuel imagination, and actually last. But in today’s toy market, flashy packaging and short-lived trends often win out over quality and longevity. So how do you tell the difference between a toy that’s worth every penny and one that’ll end up forgotten at the bottom of the toy bin? It starts with knowing what to look for. Follow these smart, simple tips for choosing quality children’s toys that stand the test of time. Why Is Choosing Quality Children’s Toys So Important? High-quality toys do more than entertain. They encourage skill-building, imaginative thinking, and creative exploration day after day and year after year. Better-built toys can grow with your child, support multiple stages of development, and even become treasured hand-me-downs. And when you choose quality, you're often choosing sustainability, too. Fewer broken pieces and discarded toys mean less waste for your wallet and the planet. What Makes a Toy High-Quality? Quality toys are built to endure everyday play while remaining safe, engaging, and developmentally appropriate. Great toys tend to share a few key characteristics: Materials That Stand Up to Daily Play The old saying “They just don’t make them like they used to” rings especially true when it comes to modern toys. While important changes like safer manufacturing standards and non-toxic finishes have improved overall toy safety, many mass-produced toys are made with flimsy plastics that don’t hold up to enthusiastic play. That’s why we’re big believers in the lasting value of wooden toys. Especially for larger pieces like dollhouses, kitchen sets, and outdoor playsets, wood offers a more durable, eco-conscious option. Quality wooden toys often feature non-toxic paints and finishes, giving you peace of mind while your child plays. They’re also designed with sturdier construction that’s ready for years of fun. Timeless Design and Lasting Appeal Some toys are designed to shine for a short season. Others are built to stay relevant for years. Look for toys with open-ended play potential, such as pretend kitchens, dollhouses, train sets, and building blocks. These toys spark creativity, grow with your child, and can be used in multiple ways. The more ways your child can use a toy—whether independently or with friends—the more likely it is to stay in rotation (and out of the donation pile). Thoughtful design matters just as much as materials. Look for toys with sturdy hardware, smooth edges, and construction built to withstand years of rough-and-tumble fun. These little design details may not be flashy, but they make a big difference when it comes to longevity, safety, and everyday enjoyment. Are Toys a Good Investment for Families? Yes! When you choose well-made toys by KidKraft, the best kids' brand for quality materials, you're investing in something that can be enjoyed for years, passed down between siblings, or even saved for future generations. Durable toys for kids reduce the need for frequent replacements, making them a smarter long-term choice for families who value quality over quantity. Tips for Choosing Quality Toys by Age or Stage Here are a few age-specific ideas to help you choose toys that match your child’s current age and developmental stage: Babies (0–12 months): Look for safe, sensory-rich toys made of non-toxic materials, like textured rattles or soft activity mats. Toddlers (1–3 years): Choose toys that encourage fine motor skills and discovery, like shape sorters, stacking toys, or push-and-pull toys. Preschoolers (3–5 years): Opt for skill-building toys that foster early learning and imagination, such as play kitchens, puzzles, activity tables, and pretend play sets. Ages 6+: Encourage imaginative play and independence with building sets, role-play kits, and craft stations that allow for self-directed exploration. Choose Toys That Build Skills and Last Generations By investing in well-made, thoughtfully designed toys, you’re setting the stage for meaningful, long-lasting play. Shop KidKraft and choose toys that grow with your child—and last for years!
Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers
7 Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers If you have a toddler, challenges like tough homework problems or social dilemmas are still a long way off. But their brains are already working to build the cognitive skills they’ll need to solve life’s “big” problems later on. For now, problem-solving activities – even ones that seem simple to us – can help them boost their cognition, resilience, and creativity. Best of all? These “problems” are actually fun! Here are seven simple problem-solving activities for toddlers and preschoolers you can start trying right away! Memory Games Those little memory card games with matching pictures are great for building concentration, memory, and problem-solving skills in your toddler! Many sets might come with a few too many pairs for a toddler to handle without help, so start with just three to four pairs and see if they can match them up! As they begin to master that, you can add in more and more pairs until they’re working with the entire deck. If you don’t have a deck, you can easily DIY your own with online printables or your own drawings. Shape Sorters Shape sorters are a classic problem-solving toy for young toddlers. In addition to matching the shapes to the correct holes, they’ll also need to figure out why the shapes don’t always fit into the hole, requiring them to rotate the shape or make subtle adjustments to their grip. Sorting/ Grouping by Category Sorting activities are excellent for toddlers’ problem solving and cognitive development, so there’s no need to stop with shape sorters! Set up simple activities that allow them to sort by a variety of categories. This can be as simple as letting them unload the dishwasher silverware tray into the silverware organizer. Or ask them to gather up all the yellow items they see in a room. Puzzles Rotating puzzles is a great way to keep the problem-solving challenge fresh for your toddler. Even a familiar puzzle can present a fun, “new” challenge for your toddler if they haven’t seen it in weeks. Hide the Teddy Bear One cognitive milestone for two-year-olds is the ability to find an object that’s been hidden under two or more layers. Once they’ve mastered that, they’ll be ready for more advanced hiding games. Try hiding a teddy bear or other toy when they aren’t looking and then give them clues to find it. You can start off with basic directions and then progress to tougher clues or games of warmer/ colder. Help Mommy/ Daddy Toddlers love to help, and helping Mommy or Daddy with a problem can be a lot less frustrating than solving their own. For example, if your little one has been determined to put on their own socks lately but always ends up super frustrated, try mimicking the same problem yourself and asking for their help. You can coach them through the process (“Now we need to stretch out the opening of the sock!”), and because their emotions aren’t already running high, they’ll be more likely to actually absorb your tips. You can model how to stay calm through frustrating situations and help them build confidence in their ability to tackle the same problem later. Constructive Play Toys The ability to build a block tower of four or more blocks is actually considered a cognitive milestone for two-year-olds. For three-year-olds, a tower of six or more blocks is the expected milestone. That’s because building anything, even a simple block tower, is a true problem-solving challenge for toddlers. Blocks, train sets, and other building toys let your child work out how to balance, fit pieces together, and deal with frustration as they learn to master the challenge.
How to Teach Sharing through Play
Activities That Promote Sharing Sharing doesn’t come naturally for toddlers. Putting aside their own desires and prioritizing someone else’s requires a level of cognitive development that most kids won’t fully reach until age 3.5 to 4. But that doesn’t mean we can’t help our kids progress toward sharing and taking turns before that. The sooner we start setting expectations, encouraging sharing, and helping them process big emotions when they don’t want to share, the more likely they’ll be able to share easily and happily as they get older. Here are a few tips adults can use to help toddlers and preschoolers share with their siblings and peers – plus a few activities that make sharing fun for even the most close-fisted kiddos. Think “Long Turns” instead of “Share Right Away” Your three-year-old picks up a toy, and your eighteen-month-old immediately toddles over to grab it. Your three-year-old shrieks, the baby cries, and you remind the older child to share with their sibling. Sound familiar? While this approach to sharing may seem easy to us, for younger kids, it feels unfair and even baffling. And when you really think about it, even you wouldn’t take kindly to someone wanting an item you’d just begun to use. In these cases, it’s best to let the first child who had the toy play with it until they’re finished. Once they’ve left the toy behind, the other child can take their own long turn – no snatching allowed from either kid.This approach to sharing is more in line with toddler and preschooler’s cognitive development. “I can’t snatch something someone else has” is much easier to comprehend than “I must give up the thing I have because someone else wants it.” Help Kids Wait Their Turn Of course, this approach is tough for the child who has to wait their turn. You can help by acknowledging and validating their feelings (i.e. “It’s okay to be upset. Waiting is hard.) and helping them find other ways to play as they wait. Sometimes a little distraction is key to preventing a meltdown. Praise Spontaneous Sharing and Point Out the Positive Consequences Okay, so we get that the “turn-taking” scenario isn’t *exactly* sharing. So when kids do share all on their own, make sure you encourage the behavior with praise (just don’t overdo it) and point out how happy they’ve made their sibling or friend. Doing so will help your child want to share more as they get older. Sharing becomes something they can be proud of and feel good about instead of something adults force them to do. Fun Activities that Promote Sharing To make sharing even more attractive, try out games and activities that make sharing fun! Basketball, Soccer and Other Team Sports The toddler version that is! All the technical rules are too much for toddlers to understand, but working towards a common goal of passing the ball to each other and getting in the hoop or goal? That they can handle. The more they toss or kick the ball to their peers, the more you cheer! Hot Potato/Pass the Ball Hot potato is all about not keeping the ball, so it’s great for kids who struggle to give up objects to their friends. If your little ones are too young to understand hot potato, try a simple game of rolling and passing the ball back and forth. Make passes quick and silly to make it seem more fun! Pretend Sharing Even if your kid doesn’t love to share, they’re probably totally fine with their dolls, stuffed animals, and other toys sharing with each other. As you play pretend with your child, you can make up scenarios where both dolls want a turn in the elevator dollhouse or both trains want to go through the tunnel. You can act out the situation together… and of course, you’ll make sure the toys showcase sharing as fun and easy! Role Play Sharing Similarly, your child might be more willing to share if they’re pretending to be a character rather than themselves. For example, they can be the head chef in their play kitchen who needs to share the tools and food with you, their assistant. Learning to share will take plenty of time and patience from both your child and you! We hope these tips and activities can make that process a little less tear-filled and a lot more fun!
