Five Simple Games That Help Young Children Practise Sharing
Low-pressure games families and early-years groups can use to practise turn-taking, listening and sharing together.
By Okay Kids Media · 2026-09-10Sharing is not a single lesson children learn once. It is a collection of small skills: waiting, noticing another person, asking clearly and trusting that a turn will come back. Games let children rehearse those skills when the stakes are low.
Pass the picture
Give everyone one sheet of paper. Each person adds a shape or small drawing, then passes the page to the next person. At the end, look at how every picture became a shared creation.
Build one tower
Place the blocks in the middle and build a single tower together. Take turns choosing one block. Adults can model useful language: “May I use the long blue block?” and “You can have it after my turn.”
Two-person treasure hunt
Hide several familiar objects and pair children together. One child can spot an object while the other collects it, then they swap roles. Success belongs to the pair rather than the fastest individual.
Playground planner
Before visiting a playground, draw three pieces of equipment and decide together what order to try them. The plan will not remove every disagreement, but it gives children a shared reference when more than one person wants the same swing or slide.
Compliment circle
Pass a soft toy around a small circle. The person holding it says something kind about another player before passing it on. Keep the activity brief and help with sentence starters when needed.