Sharing and Taking Turns
The understanding of the importance of sharing resources and taking turns in social settings.
Here are practical activities to help home-educated children develop the social skills of sharing and taking turns. These activities are hands-on, fun, and adaptable for different age levels:
🎲 1. Turn-Taking Board Games
Purpose: Practice patience and waiting for one's turn.
Activity: Play simple board games like Snakes and Ladders, Uno, or Connect Four.
How to do it: Emphasize turn-taking rules and praise children for waiting and encouraging others.
🧁 2. Sharing Snack Time
Purpose: Reinforce the concept of sharing in everyday situations.
Activity: Prepare a snack together and divide it fairly among participants.
How to do it: Use phrases like “Would you like to share this with me?” or “Let’s make sure everyone gets some.”
🎨 3. Collaborative Art Projects
Purpose: Encourage cooperation and shared creativity.
Activity: Create a large mural or poster together.
How to do it: Assign turns for drawing, coloring, or adding stickers. Discuss how sharing space and materials helps the project succeed.
🧸 4. Toy Swap Circle
Purpose: Teach respectful sharing of personal belongings.
Activity: Set up a toy swap where each child brings a toy and takes turns choosing one to play with.
How to do it: Use a timer or a name-drawing system to ensure fairness.
🗣️ 5. “My Turn, Your Turn” Game
Purpose: Build awareness of turn-taking in conversation.
Activity: Use a talking stick or object to signal whose turn it is to speak.
How to do it: Practice with storytelling or answering questions. Encourage listening while others speak.
🧠 6. Puzzle Partners
Purpose: Promote teamwork and shared problem-solving.
Activity: Work on a jigsaw puzzle or building blocks together.
How to do it: Take turns placing pieces and discuss strategies together.
🎭 7. Role-Play Sharing Situations
Purpose: Explore emotions and respectful sharing.
Activity: Act out scenarios like sharing crayons, taking turns on a swing, or choosing a game.
How to do it: Reflect afterward: “How did it feel to wait?” or “What helped you share?”
📚 8. Story Time with Sharing Themes
Purpose: Use literature to model positive behavior.
Books to try: “The Rainbow Fish”, “Should I Share My Ice Cream?”, “Llama Llama Time to Share”.
How to do it: Discuss the characters’ choices and how they handled sharing or waiting.
🧺 9. Kindness & Sharing Jar
Purpose: Encourage daily acts of generosity.
Activity: Fill a jar with ideas like “Let someone go first,” “Share a toy,” “Help a sibling.”
How to do it: Pick one each day and reflect on how it felt to share or take turns.
🕒 10. Turn-Taking Timer
Purpose: Help manage time fairly during shared activities.
Activity: Use a sand timer or stopwatch during games or computer time.
How to do it: Let children know when their turn starts and ends, and praise them for respecting the timer.