Sharing

The concept of sharing can tend to be very black and white for 3 year olds…

Children are taught to share. If they want to use a toy that another child is using they ask to share. If a child comes to ask and use a toy that they are using, they should share. Now the grey area….child A has a toy that they just got off the shelf- child B now wants to use it-so child B goes and asks child A to share-child A says NO because they just got the toy off the shelf-child B goes to a teacher and says that child A is not sharing-teacher then steps in and makes child A share the toy—

Child A had the toy taken away unfairly under the pretence of sharing and then just takes the toy back from child B while using the phrase “you need to share” as a reason to take the toy back. As a teacher, who has witnessed the entire act-from child A getting the toy first, to them getting it back, I’m asking you who would you allow to play with the toy?

*Just for the record, I sided with child A–I explained to child B that they had to wait 5 minutes to play with the toy and told child A to explain to the teacher next time that they had just gotten the toy themselves.*