Sharing by taking turns

Sharing is often a high-priority early lesson we parents want to teach, however, we usually ask our little ones to share long before they are ready.

In Montessori, we share by taking turns. Toddlers of this age cannot understand that another person has a different frame of mind than them & their brains are not developed enough to be ready to share. Turn-taking can support your little one in their understanding of enjoying an object & then giving it back. At around two years old your little one may be cognitively ready to start turn-taking, however, they will most likely will need a lot of support & guidance from a caregiver. 

By taking turns, your toddler can work as long as they need with their activity – to allow for repetition, mastery & to avoid breaking their concentration, & the other child learns to wait their turn (with guidance). We can help them to use words if somebody wants their activity “This is my turn, it will be your turn soon”.

We can practice showing how to take turns with our toddlers in everyday tasks – make breakfast together & take turns putting ingredients like strawberry slices on the plate for example.