On preschoolers and sharing

-"Hey ________, I don't want you to take that from me.  I'm still using it."

-"Hey ________, I don't want your hands on me."

-"Hey ________, I want to use that when you're through."

These are examples of how we teach the children in our school to navigate the potentially tricky social situations commonly faced by preschoolers.  I find myself amazed daily at how much children are willing to share when not forced to do so.  

Please enjoy the following exerpt from a piece entitled What Children Can and Cannot Do (source Daniel J Hodgins).  Perhaps it will shed light on our philosophy in this regard.

A construction project recently shared by four two-year olds, two three year olds, a four year old and a five year old- entirely child initiated and directed