To Share or Not to Share

by Early Math Counts

I was the directory of a preschool that did not force sharing on its children.  We believed (and I still do) that sharing is not developmentally appropriate for the egocentric child. This article from ABC News agree with me.  What do you think?

2 Replies to “To Share or Not to Share”

  1. I do not force sharing in my program either. If I have children that want the same toy, I simply tell them that whenever she is done with it, you can be the next person to play with it. If they are still unhappy, I ask them if they would like me to help them find another toy while they wait. They usually comply with no problem and everyone is happy. I always make sure to have the child that had the toy initially to invite their friend to play with it when they are done.

    1. Hi Sandra,
      I so appreciate your comment. At the preschool where I worked we called this \”Protection of Work\”. It applied to all the ways that the adults in the room protect the young child\’s right to play at her/his developmental level. For most children under 5, this means that they do not have the developmental skills to think about other children\’s needs while thinking about their own. We protected their work by not insisting that they share, by protecting a toy or something they made while they went to the bathroom or overnight. We protected their space, so that other kids wouldn\’t get in their way while they were working or so that other kids wouldn\’t break or ruin their \”stuff\”.
      I can\’t tell you how many ECE people like to debate this philosophy with me. I still completely stand by it.

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