{"id":63404,"date":"2026-05-11T20:25:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T20:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/?post_type=first-things&#038;p=63404"},"modified":"2026-05-20T05:11:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T05:11:28","slug":"help-toddlers-share","status":"publish","type":"first-things","link":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Big Feelings: How to help toddlers share"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Managing Big Feelings Series: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This blog is part of the Managing Big Feelings video series, featuring expert insight about hitting, biting, sharing and tantrums from an infant and early childhood mental health specialist, Tiffany Stenson, MC, IMH-E.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not uncommon for toddlers to refuse to share a toy. A child may grab something, hold onto it tightly or cry when another child wants a turn. I<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">f this sounds familiar, you are not alone. First Things First, Arizona&#8217;s early childhood agency, has tips to help toddlers share.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharing does not come naturally to young children. It is a skill that develops slowly over time. Toddlers are still learning how to handle big feelings, wait their turn and understand the needs of others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The good news is that everyday moments\u2014even disagreements over toys\u2014help children learn these important social skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ke6V3271sLk\" width=\"560\" height=\"314\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-size: 40px;\">Why sharing is hard for toddlers<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 18px;\">At this stage, toddlers are focused on one thing\u2014their own needs. This stage of development is normal. They may feel a strong need to hold onto a favorite toy because it gives them comfort and control. In early childhood, a child\u2019s brain is still learning empathy and self-control.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 18px;\">Young children may struggle with sharing when they are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 18px;\">Still learning about taking turns<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 18px;\">Feeling tired, hungry or overwhelmed<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 18px;\">Excited during play<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 18px;\">Worried about losing something they enjoy<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 18px;\">Not yet able to understand another child\u2019s perspective<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1><span style=\"font-size: 40px;\">Connection helps children share<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children are more likely to share when they feel calm, safe and connected to the adults around them. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a child feels loved and supported, they are more able to handle small disappointments. They can wait for a turn or move on to another activity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But when children feel tired, disconnected or upset, sharing can feel much harder. Sometimes, when a child insists on a specific toy, what they really need is attention, comfort or connection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few minutes of playful connection with a parent or caregiver can often help reset the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-size: 40px;\">What parents can do in the moment<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 18px;\">When two children want the same toy, it can be tempting to step in and quickly decide whose turn it is. Instead, try focusing on connection and guidance. <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><b>Stay calm: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acknowledge what your child is feeling. You might say, \u201cYou really want that toy,\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s hard to wait.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><b>Name their feelings: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Helping children name their feelings lets them know they are understood. If another child is using the toy, you can explain, \u201cSam is playing with it right now. You can have a turn when he\u2019s finished.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><b>Help toddlers share: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children learn by watching adults. You can practice turn-taking during simple activities like rolling a ball, stacking blocks or playing a game. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Say things like, \u201cMy turn\u2026 now your turn.\u201d This helps children understand how sharing works.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><b>Praise positive behavior: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When your child waits, shares or plays gently, notice it. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, \u201cI like how you waited for your turn.\u201d Or,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou shared the toy. That was kind.\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Positive feedback helps children repeat the behavior.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><b>Prepare for playdates: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharing can be harder in busy or exciting environments. Before playtime with other children, remind your child that everyone will take turns with toys. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might also put away a few special toys that your child is not ready to share yet.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><b>Stay close during conflicts: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Young children often need adult support when disagreements happen. Staying nearby helps you guide them through the situation calmly.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1><span style=\"font-size: 40px;\">Encouraging empathy<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As children grow, they slowly begin to understand how others feel. Parents and caregivers can help build empathy by talking about emotions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYour friend is sad because they wanted a turn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simple conversations like this help children begin to think about others. Empathy develops over many small moments of guidance and connection.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-size: 40px;\">Sharing takes time<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learning to share is a gradual process. Toddlers are still developing emotional skills like patience, empathy and self-control. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With calm guidance, practice and connection, children slowly learn how to take turns and play with others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parents and caregivers do not need to expect perfect sharing overnight. Small everyday moments help children build these important skills over time.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Need tips to help toddlers share? Learn why sharing is a learned skill and how parents can help toddlers practice taking turns, build empathy and develop sharing over time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":48831,"template":"","tags":[22,23,155,313,544],"class_list":["post-63404","first-things","type-first-things","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-parenting","tag-child-development","tag-mental-health","tag-positive-parenting","tag-manage-big-feelings"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Managing Big Feelings: How to help toddlers share - First Things First<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore effective strategies to help toddlers share and foster positive social interactions among young children.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Managing Big Feelings: How to help toddlers share\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore effective strategies to help toddlers share and foster positive social interactions among young children.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"First Things First\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AZFirstThingsFirst\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-20T05:11:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Standard-Blog-Size-Image-1-3.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"393\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AZFTF\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/first-things\\\/help-toddlers-share\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/first-things\\\/help-toddlers-share\\\/\",\"name\":\"Managing Big Feelings: How to help toddlers share - First Things First\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/first-things\\\/help-toddlers-share\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/first-things\\\/help-toddlers-share\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/Standard-Blog-Size-Image-1-3.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-11T20:25:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-20T05:11:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"Explore effective strategies to help toddlers share and foster positive social interactions among young children.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/first-things\\\/help-toddlers-share\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/first-things\\\/help-toddlers-share\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/first-things\\\/help-toddlers-share\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/Standard-Blog-Size-Image-1-3.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/Standard-Blog-Size-Image-1-3.png\",\"width\":750,\"height\":393,\"caption\":\"Toddler boy in green shirt shred with toddler boy in blue shirt\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/first-things\\\/help-toddlers-share\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Parenting Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/first-things\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Managing Big Feelings: How to help toddlers share\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/\",\"name\":\"First Things First\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"First Things First\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/firstthingsfirst_card_gray.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/firstthingsfirst_card_gray.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450,\"caption\":\"First Things First\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\\\/es\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/AZFirstThingsFirst\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/AZFTF\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/azfirstthingsfirst\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/first-things-first\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/FTFArizona\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Managing Big Feelings: How to help toddlers share - First Things First","description":"Explore effective strategies to help toddlers share and foster positive social interactions among young children.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/","og_locale":"es_ES","og_type":"article","og_title":"Managing Big Feelings: How to help toddlers share","og_description":"Explore effective strategies to help toddlers share and foster positive social interactions among young children.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/","og_site_name":"First Things First","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AZFirstThingsFirst\/","article_modified_time":"2026-05-20T05:11:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":393,"url":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Standard-Blog-Size-Image-1-3.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@AZFTF","twitter_misc":{"Tiempo de lectura":"7 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/","url":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/","name":"Managing Big Feelings: How to help toddlers share - First Things First","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Standard-Blog-Size-Image-1-3.png","datePublished":"2026-05-11T20:25:45+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-20T05:11:28+00:00","description":"Explore effective strategies to help toddlers share and foster positive social interactions among young children.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Standard-Blog-Size-Image-1-3.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Standard-Blog-Size-Image-1-3.png","width":750,"height":393,"caption":"Toddler boy in green shirt shred with toddler boy in blue shirt"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/help-toddlers-share\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Parenting Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/first-things\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Managing Big Feelings: How to help toddlers share"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/","name":"First Things First","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/#organization","name":"First Things First","url":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/firstthingsfirst_card_gray.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/firstthingsfirst_card_gray.jpg","width":800,"height":450,"caption":"First Things First"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AZFirstThingsFirst\/","https:\/\/x.com\/AZFTF","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/azfirstthingsfirst\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/first-things-first","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/FTFArizona"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/first-things\/63404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/first-things"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/first-things"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/first-things\/63404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63484,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/first-things\/63404\/revisions\/63484"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}