Wednesday, September 3, 2008

I Can Share

Molly is great at sharing, as long as she is on the receiving end. When it comes to the giving end--not so much. A friend recommended the book I Can Share by Karen Katz.
This is a cute little lift-the-flap book that explains sharing in very simple terms. For example, here is just one excerpt from the book:
  • My new doll! You can play with her...but MAYBE (lift the flap) you can play with my other doll.

We must have read this book about a thousand times (conservative estimate) while we were on vacation at the beach. Molly just loved it. We practiced sharing with her little sea creature toys:

  • I want to play with the octopus...but MAYBE you can play with the starfish.

We shared and shared and shared some more. Molly totally got the concept of sharing. I couldn't wait until we got home so that Molly could show off her new skill to her friends.

The first chance she got to share, I was beaming with pride. I just knew she was going to be successful. When a friend wanted to play with one of her toys, Molly opened her mouth and said:

  • MINE!!

She snatched the toy away and clutched it close to her body. Ugh! Molly may not have been good at sharing, but never before had said, "MINE," when it came to her possessions. Good Golly! I try to teach my kid to share and I manage to make her more selfish.

Have no fear, this story does have a happy ending of sorts. While she has not perfected the skill of sharing yet, she has shown signs of improving. I even caught one example with my camera.

Happily eating her snack....

I want the pretzels, but MAYBE you can have some Cheez-its!

Without a prompt (read: demand) from me, our little Miss Molly offered her friend Annie some of her crackers!

I Can Share came in a collection with two other books. Molly was particularly fond of Excuse Me! A Little Book of Manners.


Here is an excerpt:
  • BURP! You burped! What do you say? (Lift the flap) Excuse Me!

Take a guess what Molly learned from this little gem of a book? Wrong! She actually learned to say "excuse me," "thank you," "no, thank you," please and "I'm sorry!" Will wonders never cease?

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