Building Social Skills: Supporting Toddlers with Sharing and Taking Turns

QUESTION

Create 2-3 instructional support intervention strategies to help a toddler age 2 who has tantrums with sharing and taking turns. Create 1-2 at-home activities to provide support in the same developmental area. Summarize each intervention strategy and at-home activity and explain how each meets the needs of the child.

ANSWER

 Building Social Skills: Supporting Toddlers with Sharing and Taking Turns

Introduction

Tantrums over sharing and taking turns are common developmental challenges faced by toddlers aged 2. As caregivers, it is essential to provide effective intervention strategies to foster social skills and emotional regulation in these young children. In this essay, we will outline two instructional support intervention strategies for toddlers and suggest at-home activities that reinforce the same developmental area. Each strategy and activity will be summarized, emphasizing how they meet the child’s needs.

Instructional Support Intervention Strategies

Social Stories and Role-Modeling

Strategy Summary: Create social stories that depict scenarios involving sharing and taking turns. Use colorful pictures and simple language to illustrate how characters in the story handle sharing situations. Additionally, encourage positive role-modeling by displaying appropriate sharing behavior during playtime.
 Meeting the Child’s Needs: Social stories help toddlers understand social expectations and learn new behaviors. By presenting sharing as a positive and rewarding experience through storytelling, the child can internalize the concept and apply it in real-life situations. Observing positive role-modeling further reinforces the desired behavior and encourages imitation.

 Visual Timers and Reinforcement

Strategy Summary: Utilize visual timers during play sessions to signify turn-taking intervals. Start with shorter time frames, gradually increasing them as the child becomes more comfortable. Offer positive reinforcement, such as praise and small rewards, for successful turn-taking and sharing behaviors.
 Meeting the Child’s Needs: Visual timers provide a concrete and predictable way for the child to understand the duration of their turn and the expectation of waiting for others. The use of positive reinforcement helps motivate the child to engage in sharing and taking turns by associating these behaviors with positive outcomes.

At-Home Activities

 Family Game Time

 Activity Summary: Set aside designated family game time with age-appropriate board games or activities that involve sharing and turn-taking. Guide the child through the rules and model appropriate behavior during the game.
 Meeting the Child’s Needs: Engaging in family game time promotes social bonding and communication skills while providing opportunities for the child to practice sharing and taking turns in a familiar and supportive environment.

Sharing Treasure Box

Activity Summary: Create a “Sharing Treasure Box” containing small toys or treats. Encourage the child to pick an item from the box and share it with a family member or friend. Offer praise and encouragement for their willingness to share.
Meeting the Child’s Needs: The Sharing Treasure Box activity introduces sharing in a fun and interactive manner. It helps the child develop a positive association with sharing and instills a sense of generosity and empathy.

Conclusion

Supporting toddlers with sharing and taking turns is essential for their social and emotional development. The instructional support intervention strategies of social stories and role-modeling, along with visual timers and reinforcement, provide effective ways to teach these skills. Similarly, the at-home activities of family game time and the Sharing Treasure Box offer enjoyable opportunities for the child to practice sharing and taking turns within a safe and nurturing environment. By implementing these strategies and activities, caregivers can help toddlers navigate through tantrums and build vital social skills for positive interactions with others.