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Keeping “Sharing” Positive With Pictionary

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pictionaryI think everyone can benefit from a reminder about the enjoyment we get from sharing sometimes.  After all I know how even I experience a little hesitation sharing my favorite snack if there are only a few bites left (mmmm strawberries)… how much harder might it be for my two year old to share the trucks he’s playing with!  The more we learn about sharing however the more we realize that it is a beautiful part of connecting with others and the more we practice, the better we get.

I have found it can be very encouraging to children to think about what they do share, instead of just telling them to “share” when they are not.  This activity helps children see how much they are already sharing and can also give you gentle way to talk to them about other things they may like to practice sharing a bit more.

I started off the activity by explaining the phrase “sharing is caring” as I slowly wrote it on the piece of paper: discussing how when we share we show others we care about them, when we need something we appreciate it when others share, and how nice it feels to both give and receive.  (Note: I notice my kids listen much better when we are actively engaged in something – ie setting an activity up – versus if I’m just “lecturing” them.)

Then I said we were going to play Pictionary with things we share in our family: the artist would choose an item that we have seen shared and draw it while the other people guess (and we would take turns being artist).  I originally took out this activity thinking my 4-year-old would like to draw along (he usually loves Pictionary games!), however he wanted me to draw this time and I’m cool with that.  In our family we do art for the experience and not for a specific outcome.  (He enjoyed drawing his own picture afterward.)

For example, I drew some blocks and then the kids guessed what I was drawing… then we briefly talked about times we could share the item, gave a specific example of when we saw something sharing it (if we could remember one) and mentioned how the other person felt when we shared, etc.

The kids also requested I draw a few extra things they thought of themselves… including nuts (current favorite snack) and a cat (we don’t have one, and I couldn’t quite figure out where that came from but we talked about sharing cats anyway).

Like I said I ended up doing the bulk of the drawing but my two year old also enjoyed scribbling over the items and repeating some of the words we had been using which was pretty cute I must say.  Later that day it was neat to see him explain to daddy what we had been talking about by pointing out all the items – I was impressed by how much he got out of the activity!

This activity was simple and fun… but really got the point across that sharing is a positive thing (and not just something mommy is constantly ordering for no reason).  An added benefit is that we now have a nice poster to hang up to remind us about caring for others by sharing!

Do you find yourself requesting the kids to “share” often?  How do you make sharing a positive experience?

Feel free to share your experiences after using this idea or tell us about any variations you came up with. Links to related activities or to a post linking here, are most welcome also.

Thanks for your feedback – I appreciate all your comments!

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Filed Under: Blog, Character Building Activities, Craft Activities Tagged With: Friendliness, Generosity

About Chelsea Lee Smith

Author, certified parent educator, and mother of three with a background in Communications and Counselling, Chelsea provides resources to parents and teachers who want to incorporate personal growth into everyday moments. Follow her @momentsaday on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary Catherine

    June 30, 2013 at 11:06 am

    I really like the focus on what kids DO share, rather than just telling them to do so! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing at Stress-Free Sunday!

    Reply
  2. Brandi

    May 26, 2014 at 10:02 pm

    I absolutely love your blogs. I have 3 girls 9,6 and 2 and I started applying the ideas you share and it’s amazing how effective it is! You are a blessing!

    Reply
  3. Pallavi Gupta

    August 6, 2016 at 4:07 am

    I have a 2.5 year old son. At this age it is developmentally appropriate not to share and engage in parallel play. Many parents feel if their child does not share, he/she is “bad” or they have on “Oh my god! My child is not sharing” moment.
    Instead of insisting that my son shares, I ask him if he would like to share, and often he would share his toys. If he doesn’t want to, I explain to the other child that right now he is playing and would give the toy in a while. I also explain to my son if he could play and then give the other child a turn. So far, so good!

    Reply
  4. Cheryl Fennell

    January 14, 2018 at 3:10 pm

    Hi

    I love this idea. I adapted it for my Girl’s Club (2 aged 10 and 5 just turned 11 years old..Next year they will all be able to start junior youth together.)
    We have been doing a lot of services as a community building activity. I pasted small cards on sticks and wrote the name of a virtue on the front and back of each card. Each girl in turn will draw an example of their virtue and the other girls will have to guess which virtue is represented by the picture drawn. We will encourage them to ask the artist questions about their picture to guess the virtue. For example, “Is the girl in your drawing who is picking up her friend’s book showing “helpfulness?” Thank you for inspiring me.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 100 Kids Activities To Build Character - Moments A Day says:
    November 1, 2013 at 7:39 am

    […] 3. We played a pictionary game to encourage each other to practice friendliness by sharing.  Find out how we played here. […]

    Reply

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Chelsea Lee Smith is an author, certified parent educator, and mother of three children with a background in Communications and Counselling. She provides resources to parents and teachers who want to incorporate personal growth into everyday moments. Browse the shop and blog categories to find practical inspiration for family life including tips, activities, printable pages, and resource recommendations.

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