7 Ways to Teach Cooperation in Early Childhood
This is a great resource adapted from the National Center on Infants, Toddlers, and Families for parents, families, and anyone who works with young children. Click on the link to download and print as a pdf document: Early Childhood Teaching Cooperation Encourage turn-taking. As young as 6 and 9 months, babies can begin to engage in back-and-forth interactions. They also learn to imitate. This is a great time to encourage turn-taking as you talk and play with your baby as it helps her learn language and the joy of relationships. When you place a block in the bucket, give her time to copy you. Take turns putting objects in the bucket and dumping them out. As she gets older, take turns putting pieces in the puzzle, or shapes into the shape sorter. When it’s time to clean up, you can make a game of taking turns placing toys back on the shelf. These experiences are opportunities for her to feel the pleasure of accomplishing something as a team. Do chores together starting at an early age. Let your child grow up experiencing the benefits of cooperation. Even 1-year-olds can help set the table and clean up toys. Point out the advantages of cooperating: “Look how fast we set the table. Now we have time to read a book before dinner.” Or, “Boy was it fun to wash the car with you. You are a great scrubber! Look how bright and