Teaching Consideration for Others

Here are specific ideas for helping little ones learn how to be considerate of others:

A Toy Box Truce

My boys are just 15 months apart and have similar interests. When they were younger, they were often caught in a tug-of-war over toys. I tried to solve this problem by encouraging them to share, putting them in different rooms with different toys and distracting them when they fought over their jumbo teddy bear.

Then my husband and I came up with an idea: At the start of playtime, we put their favorite toys in a pile between the boys and had them take turns choosing one from the pile until the toys were divided equally. This method ended the selfish struggle between them. Since they each picked their favorites, and took turns doing so, it helped to remove the tension and allowed them to play independently. But on most days, they chose to combine their chosen toys and play with each other without fighting. This simple method allowed my boys to begin treating each other in the way God would want them to.

— Sue Nowicki

Watch Their Words

The words young children use may be their first step toward learning how to share Christ with others. Like many preschoolers, my kids developed an early affinity for words such as stinky, stupid and shut up. They needed help showing kindness and finding words that demonstrated respect and offered encouragement toward others.

When my preschooler started using hurtful or inappropriate words, I would ask him to choose different words, encouraging him to select words that express how he was feeling, what he needed or why he was frustrated. Sometimes, I had to help him think of words to articulate his irritation.

As "you're stupid" changes to "I'm frustrated" and "shut up" to "I need quiet," preschoolers are forming the habit of choosing positive words and strengthening relationships with siblings.

—Shelly Radic, with MOPS International (MOPS.org/focus) and author of Momology: The Art and Science of Shaping Great Kids