15 Simple Sharing Activities for Kids That Are Actually Fun

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Coming up with sharing activities for kids isn’t as complicated as you think.

As a mom of three energetic little ones, I know just how important it is to find activities that keep them entertained while also promoting their development.

That’s why I’m excited to share some of my favorite sharing activities for kids with you today.

There have been many times when I’ve had to intervene between two or more of my kids because someone is losing their mind over having to share something with another sibling.

It’s hard in those moments to keep calm, but it is so important! These are valuable moments to be able to work on sharing skills.

If you’re feeling despondent about your child’s lack of sharing skills, fear not! This is definitely something that can be worked on.

Why Teaching Kids to Share is So Important

It seems almost silly to talk about why kids need to learn to share. There are many obvious situations where it just makes sense.

We as a society all have different skills and abilities. It is important that we work together to share those in order to take good care of each other.

This is aside from the fact that sharing is a way to bless those around us. It is a way to show compassion and love.

However, there can be an unhealthy view that parents can take on. That is that our children have to share everything.

We need to make sure that we keep things balanced.

For instance, if it wouldn’t be appropriate in the adult world, we probably shouldn’t be forcing our kids to do it.

Would you appreciate being forced to share a precious piece of jewelry? If not, then your child shouldn’t have to share the special toy that they got for Christmas.

Sharing should be logical. Think about how sharing looks in real life situations and what the right thing to do would be. Those are the situations to teach your child about.

Here are some basic ways that we can teach it:

Model Sharing Behavior – Children often learn by example, so it’s important for parents and caregivers to model sharing behavior themselves. This means sharing items, taking turns, and using polite language when asking for items.

Make Sharing a Game – Children respond well to games and fun activities, so making sharing a game can be a helpful way to teach them to share. For example, playing a game where children have to share toys or taking turns with an activity can help reinforce the importance of sharing.

Use Positive Reinforcement – Praise and positive reinforcement can go a long way in encouraging children to share. When your child shares or takes turns, be sure to offer positive reinforcement, like verbal praise or a small reward. This can help encourage them to continue sharing in the future.

Let’s go over some specific activities you can do with your kids to encourage sharing.

15 Fun Sharing Activities for Kids

Many of these activities are very simple and will take little to no prep. The idea here is that teaching the concept of sharing comes simply from living life together.

Sharing is, after all, a part of everyday life.

#1 Rolling a Ball

This is a very simple activity that I’ve done with all of my children. It’s especially good for when you have a cranky toddler that needs to be redirected.

Have your little one (or ones) sit opposite you with their legs spread. Then take turns rolling the ball to each other.

This is an activity that older siblings can do with a younger one, or you can do with your child.

This is a very simple way to practice sharing!

#2 Baking Together

Oftentimes, the concept of sharing can be taught through simple daily activities. Involving your child in baking or cooking offers lots of opportunities to share.

If you have more than one child, this is a really good way to encourage sharing. Each child can take turns pouring ingredients.

I know my kids have struggled to share when I do baking, so it is a good thing to work on!

#3 Playing with Play Dough

This can definitely be a singular activity, but with a little tweaking, you can facilitate lots of sharing opportunities.

Either have two siblings play together and give them some shared instruments to use with the playdoh. Alternatively, join in on it yourself!

The simple back and forth of sharing tools gives lots of opportunities to hone those sharing skills.

#4 Story Telling

Storytelling is a wonderful way to get all of your kids involved in a fun activity where they’ll also practice sharing.

In this case, they’ll practice sharing time to talk. It’s also a good lesson in learning to listen to other people and not interrupt.

You begin the story and then let the next person add to it. Each person takes turns adding to the story until you decide to wrap it up.

You’ll likely find everyone has a good laugh over some of the silly antics that the characters in the story get up to!

This is a really fun way to practice sharing because there are simple rules and lots of room for fun and creativity.

#5 Role Play

I cannot tell you the number of times my kids have come to me distressed because a sibling wasn’t abiding by the rules of the game.

More often than not it came down to them not sharing something that the other child wanted.

Instead of viewing it as a frustrating incident, flip the narrative and see it as a way to work on sharing skills.

Role play comes very naturally to kids. It’s how they learn to process new information and work out social skills.

Give them lots of opportunities for pretend play and watch their skills grow!

You can also set up scenarios where you walk them through situations of having to share. Better yet, talk them through how to decline to share when appropriate.

For instance, when a child has very special toys that belong to them, teach them to put them away when friends come over.

Not everything in our lives has to be shared as adults, so we shouldn’t be expecting our children to share everything of theirs either.

Simple social interactions can help to hone this new skill that toddlers are beginning to learn. Many of those can be carried out through simple actions found in role play.

#6 Dance Party

Start a dance party with your kids! This is a wonderful way to bring cheer to grumpy days and also expend some of their boundless energy!

You can totally make this into a sort of simple game.

The idea of the game is purely to have fun and let each child practice sharing. A bonus is that they’ll be working on motor skills at the same time. The way you can incorporate sharing into this activity is by letting each child have a turn choosing the music.

#7 Board Games

Board games by nature lend themselves to lots of sharing practice! This is because players generally have to take turns.

You can find board games for very young children all the way up to the adult years. Therefore, it’s not very difficult to find a game that will be able to be played by the entire family.

If you want a game that is very well suited to little ones, Think Fun Roll & Play has been a hot favorite in our home!

#8 Read About Sharing

If your kids enjoy books then use that as an opportunity to focus on sharing. Go to your local library and find books on the subject. A picture book is a fantastic way to prompt a discussion on the art of sharing.

There are picture books that are perfect for younger children! Older children will almost certainly be intrigued as well.

You could look up chapter books that have a theme of sharing for your older children to read on their own.

#9 Discuss Sharing

Talk about it! Kids DO listen and pick up on what we say so make use of that.

Discuss the concept of sharing as you go through your day with your kids. So often we feel as though teaching has to take place at a certain time and look a certain way.

In fact, we are teaching our children all throughout the day. Just be cognisant of

#10 Connect Four

Connect Four is a simple, yet fun game that can be played with fairly young children. In fact, this kind of a game is a great example of turn-taking activities.

The way in which it encourages sharing is simply because your child will have to take turns with whoever else they’re playing with. There are lots of fun ways to teach sharing, but perhaps the best way is through actually carrying out the action in a natural way.

#11 Battleships

Battleships is another great option and a classic game that encourages sharing. There’s also the added benefit of teaching patience.

#12 Go Fish

For young children, this is the perfect card game for teaching the concept of sharing and taking turns. Go Fish is a classic! Of course, there are other card games that are a great starting point for older children learning to share too. It’s just that Go Fish is a great game for little kids to start with. There are many different ways to teach sharing by using card games.

#13 Chores

You may not immediately consider chores as a way to teach your kids to share, but they can certainly be used to do so!

First of all, consider talking to them about sharing the load of the household. When we share the work, it becomes easier for the family overall.

Another way to use chores to teach sharing is by having a list of chores for your kids to pick from.

Each day they can choose what they’d prefer to do but have them be different from the day before. That way everyone gets to take turns.

#14 Choosing Meals

Kids love food. They also tend to love sharing their opinions about it.

A great way to involve your kids in the process of meal planning is by having them choose some of the meals.

There are all sorts of ways to use this to teach many different concepts, but sharing is definitely one of them.

Each child could have a day of the week when they get to pick the meal.

Family members should be involved in this process. It teaches so many good things!

#15 Have Family Toys

A very easy way to encourage sharing is to invest in some family toys. Things like games, trampolines, and sporting equipment are good things to have.

If you have more than one child then they are naturally going to have to learn to share these things.

Final Thoughts

Sharing activities for kids is not only a fun way to spend time with your child, but they also provide an opportunity to teach important social skills. Sharing is in and of itself an important social skill.

Don’t stress if your child is having a hard time sharing. By engaging in these activities, children can learn the value of sharing, taking turns, and working together.

Whether it’s playing a game, doing an art project, or going on a scavenger hunt, there are countless ways to incorporate sharing into daily activities with your child.

By making sharing a regular part of their routine, children can develop strong social skills that will serve them well in school and beyond. So, get creative, have fun, and watch your child grow into a sharing and caring individual.

15 Simple Sharing Activities for Kids That Are Actually Fun

Why Teaching Kids to Share is So Important