SHARING AND GENEROSITY

National Network for Child Care's Connections Newsletter
Charles A. Smith, Ph.D.

Human Development Specialist

Human Development and Family Studies

Kansas State University Cooperative Extension

Copyright/Access Information

A healthy attitude about sharing encourages cooperation among
children. Sharing materials benefits everyone. Responsive teachers
and caregivers can lead children away from materialism. The following
suggestions will strengthen your ability to nurture self-esteem
and sharing abilities in young children.

MODEL SHARING AND GIVING. Bring interesting things from
home for children to look at or use. Give each child a special
card from you on their birthday. Your kindness and willingness
to share encourages children to do the same.

RECOGNIZE CHILDREN'S SPONTANEOUS GESTURES OF SHARING. Emphasize
the results of their kindness for others. But be careful not to
give too much praise. It can make children feel their kindness
is linked with your approval. They may act out of a need for your
approval instead of their desire to make another person happy.
To encourage sharing you might say: “Sandy, you shared your
crayons with Jerome. Look at the nice drawing he made. You helped
him draw.”

RECOGNIZE THE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS CHILDREN SHARE. They
may invite someone to join them in playing with a toy they are
already playing with. They may loan another child something. Or
they may give something permanently to another child (like a cookie).
In general, giving something away is more difficult for children
than sharing only part of what they have or only temporarily giving
up something.

HELP CHILDREN DEVELOP A HEALTHY SENSE OF OWNERSHIP AND GIVE THEM OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE SPECIAL BELONGINGS. A healthy
attitude emphasizes more than the mere possession of objects.
Encourage children to talk about how the belongings are used and
enjoyed. Emphasize the quality of objects instead of the quantity
or their appeal to others.

By saying, “Susan, I bet your jacket keeps you warm”
instead of “Susan, I like your new jacket,” you focus
on the usefulness of the object, not its appeal.

“Those stuffed animals feel really soft” instead of
“Look at how many stuffed animals you have” focuses
on the quality of the objects, not the quantity.

PROVIDE MATERIALS THAT ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO TAKE TURNS.
Introduce a limited number of some play items so children will
have to practice waiting their turn to use them.

You can enforce this practice by saying, “Sheila, you can
use the watering can after Tyrone is finished,” or “Allison
can go down the slide after Bob.”

PLAN ACTIVITIES THAT GIVE CHILDREN THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK TOGETHER. Instead of drawing individual pictures, ask children
to share art materials as they make a large drawing on poster
board. You might invite them to work together to make a “building”
out of blocks and then ask them to share the structure when it
is finished.

GIVE CHILDREN THE CHOICE TO SHARE OR BE GENEROUS. “Forced”
sharing and generosity can build an atmosphere of resentment.
When forced to share, it is less likely that children will offer
kindness on their own.

DISCUSS WITH PARENTS THEIR ATTITUDES ABOUT SHARING AND OWNERSHIP.
Children's attitudes often reflect the teachings of their parents.
Ask parents about their values regarding ownership, how they resolve
conflicts over toys, and how they encourage sharing and generosity
in their children.

Here are some ideas for activities that will promote sharing and
generosity.


PUZZLE PIECES (AGE: 3+ YEARS)

PURPOSE: To help children become aware of the benefits of sharing resources.

SETTING AND MATERIALS: Large group with space for children to move. Two baskets. Match-up puzzles of single, simple shapes (see illustration for examples).

ACTIVITY:
Make as many match-up puzzles as there are children in your group. Place both sections of half the puzzles in each basket. For example, with ten children in the group, both halves of five puzzles will be placed in each basket.

During group time, talk briefly about sharing as a way for two or more people using the same materials to work or play together.

Have the children take one puzzle piece from each basket. Have them first try to put these two pieces together. Talk about how they feel when the pieces don't match, for example, frustrated or disappointed.

Next have the children move around and find the people with the pieces that complete their puzzles. Talk about their feelings now, for example, happy or satisfied. Explain that sharing resources can make people feel good.


WHY DO WE SHARE? (AGE: 4+ YEARS)

PURPOSE: To provide children the opportunity to practice sharing experiences and gain insight into the benefits of sharing.

SETTING AND MATERIALS: Small group. Items to use in role-playing episodes, such as building blocks, a doll, an indoor slide, or other piece of equipment.

ACTIVITY:
During small group time, talk with the children about different ways to share, for example, taking turns or using a toy or resource cooperatively.

Ask for volunteers to role play different sharing opportunities:

– Building blocks: Give one child a big pile and the other child a small pile. Guide the role play to help children understand about the benefit of sharing resources.

– Doll: Encourage the children to think of roles they can both take to use the doll cooperatively – one the mother, the other the baby-sitter, etc.


STYROFOAM SCULPTURE (AGE: 3+)

PURPOSE: To provide an opportunity for children to share resources and work cooperatively on a project.

SETTING AND MATERIALS: Art Center. Large pieces of styrofoam. Large piece of corrugated cardboard. Glue. Styrofoam packing “peanuts.” Colored toothpicks. Chenille wires (resembling pipe cleaners). Styrofoam egg cartons.

ACTIVITY:
Make sure there is adequate staff to provide close supervision of the children. The materials could present a safety hazard if used incorrectly.

Collect large styrofoam pieces from packing boxes. Mount them on cardboard. Cut the cups apart from the egg cartons.

Have two or three children work together. Show them how to make a sculpture by using the toothpicks and chenille wires to attach the “peanuts” and egg cups to the styrofoam base.

Display the sculpture in the classroom. Talk with the children about sharing and using the materials together as they work on the project.

There are many opportunities for children to learn about and experience sharing with others while they are in day care programs. With your help, children will feel more comfortable sharing what they own with others. They will also be willing, at times, to make sacrifices and be generous.

 


DOCUMENT USE/COPYRIGHT
National Network for Child Care – NNCC. Part of CYFERNET, the National Extension Service
Children Youth and Family Educational Research Network. Permission is granted to reproduce
these materials in whole or in part for educational purposes only (not for profit beyond the cost of
reproduction) provided that the author and Network receive acknowledgment and this notice is
included:

Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care – NNCC. Smith, C. A. (1991). Sharing and generosity. In Todd, C.M. (Ed.), *Day care center connections*, 1(1), pp. 1-3. Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.

 


FORMAT AVAILABLE:: Internet
DOCUMENT REVIEW:: Level 3 – National Peer Review
ENTRY DATE:: March 1996

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