Sophie

Sophie

Age Group Children will also have problems sharing … risk

When children are 5 year’s old, a behavioural
problem that can often occur is a difficulty sharing.
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What Is the Behaviour
Having difficulty sharing is a … sense of empathy
and understanding of another and their feelings.
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giving it up and either not having had a fair turn, or
not receiving it back again.
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How to prevent the behaviour
An educator could use a timer to allocate specific
lengths of time … really engaged with it can be
upsetting.

Gemma
In order to share, children need to be able to
Why they’re behaving that way
manage their emotions and have some
At this age, children are extremely egocentric.
negotiation strategies, skills that young children
Their world and thoughts are focused on
are only starting to learn. During this time, a
themselves, making sharing a difficult behaviour
child’s social understanding is also undergoing
for them to master.
significant developmental changes, impacting


This developmental stage allows for the aspect how they see others and their emotions.
of early social cognition that is fundamental to
(P) An important part of ownership is
understanding the concept of ownership, which
understanding and knowing what is ‘mine’ and
until this point, young children have not had.
what is ‘not yours.’ So a young child without
This lack of knowledge when it comes to
ownership understanding, may not know that
ownership, means that the children do not fully
someone else wants something of theirs.
understand what is or isn’t theirs.
Sophie

Mature ownership understanding develops By building trusting relationships with the educator,
between age five and six, and allows the students students are also more … they don’t become too
possessive over the item in the first place.
to understand that sharing entails temporary
transfer of a physical possession, allowing them
to retain ownership of the object and its
corresponding rights. Young children would have
trouble sharing things spontaneously with others
prior to development of such understanding.
 
 Gemma
Being extremely supportive and encouraging
Having more materials available is also an
when a child shares promotes to the whole group
effective way to prevent children having
that sharing is a favourable action. This is
difficulties sharing. This also means that if
because they will have more positive
another student asked for the item they possess,
associations with sharing and see it as a
it can be traded for something else or the
rewarding behaviour, rather than seeing it as
educator could redirect interest, reducing the
losing something they have.
sadness they feel when their item has been taken.

Incorporated into this is descriptive praise, where

the educator describes the behaviour they like so
that the child is aware of what behaviour gains
praise and is thus more likely to repeat the
behaviour.

Gemma
It will also minimise them taking other children’s
Teaching children the concept of ownership is an
things, as they will understand that it’s not theirs
important part of overcoming this negative
to take.
behaviour. If the child understands that some
(P) Teaching children from a young age is
things belong to other people, just like some
also a way that educators can limit this
things belong to them, they will be more
behaviour.
understanding of why someone else may want a
Sharing behaviours are more easily developed in
turn and the importance of fairness and giving
younger children, so if a lack of sharing is
that person a go.
evident, teachers should make it a priority to find
ways to limit these instances. The teacher should
provide situations in which they can guide the
students behaviour into a more positive response.
 Sophie

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How to provide guidance to the behaviour
The educator modelling sharing and fairly taking
turns is the appropriate … should share with others
and how they and others feel.

Gemma
It teaches the child that taking things is
The educator cannot force a child to share. By
acceptable. Instead the educator needs to speak
taking the item from them and giving it to
to the child; ask them if it’s okay if another child
another child, they are engaging in the same act
has a turn, explain to them why it’s fair for
as the child and so are not guiding them to more
another child to have a turn, ask them about their
positive behaviours.
feelings and how they think the other child might
Redirect children’s attention. Before the child is be feeling.
expected to give up an item, the educator can
This way the child will be happier to part with
redirect their focus onto other materials,
the item as they don’t feel robbed of something,
engaging them in play before asking for a turn
rather that they have traded it.
with the original item.