: Tips for Parents Dealing with Sibling Rivalry among Young Children
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Sibling rivalry is very common among young children. There are different steps that can be taken to combat this situation.
Talk to them about the importance of siblings
The extent to which you can talk to the children will depend on exactly how young they are. Obviously you will not be able to have an in-depth conversation with a one year old. However, even slightly older children can understand a surprising amount, and you can discuss their siblings. You want them to understand how important the other is. You can ask them to list positive attributes about their sibling.
Encourage positive activities for the siblings to do together
You want the siblings to feel like they are on the same team. Perhaps you can play a family game and have those two siblings together on the same team. You can give them an activity with which they have to work together such as gardening. Give them some special time to be together.
Make sure to give each individual attention
Oftentimes sibling rivalry occurs because the children are each vying for the parents’ attention. You may be able to help alleviate it by making sure to give each child the personalized attention that they crave. If they feel like they have your attention they may not feel like they have to fight the sibling for it.
Praise them for acting nice together
A lot of young children love praise. When you see that they are acting nicely to each other, then make a big deal of it. Tell them that you are proud that they are acting like good siblings. They may be so pleased with your praise that they strive to continue the positive interaction with each other to garner it again.
Positive reinforcement often works better than punishment, but sometimes you will have no choice. If one sibling does something unacceptable to the other, then make sure that you enforce consistent discipline. Hopefully they will discontinue these behaviors.
Have them do nice things for each other
You want your children to start feeling positive thoughts about each other. Perhaps you can have them each do a craft that will be a gift for the other sibling. You can have one draw a picture for the other.
Although sibling rivalry can be upsetting, many children do outgrow this as they mature. The above tips may help you improve the relationship between your children.