Sibling relationships can be one of the more difficult relationships to handle. These children grew up together and formed a bond unlike one they’ll form with any other person. This bond, while strong, can face many challenges. During the younger years, you might find that having multiple children means that you’re constantly listening to bickering.
Bickering between siblings is a common occurrence and quite natural. Your children are trying to figure out where they fit in the family unit. During the younger days, your children are fighting to be relevant and important without having the proper skills to effectively communicate this to others.
While you can’t stop sibling rivalry from happening, you can work to build a stronger sibling bond by using some of the tips we’re featuring below. These tips will help you encourage a positive relationship between your multiple children so they can grow up to support each other regardless of what’s going on in the world.
Do Not Compare Your Kids
Try your best to never compare the siblings. While yes, one sibling may be better or better-behaved during the day, giving this comparison may incite more sibling rivalry. Your children are trying to prove their important and valued, so when you compare them to someone else they feel like they’re missing a skill that the sibling has and will feel negatively towards that sibling.
Use Board Games
Build a shelf or have a room set up for board game playtime. Board games are one of the simplest ways to encourage your children to compete healthily. This competition of trying to win at a board game not only helps inspire your children to fight healthy but strengthens their bond. Some board games require teamwork to play, while others require strategic planning, both of these practices will help strengthen the sibling bond as they work together to play board games.
Teach Appreciation
One of the easiest ways to teach appreciation to build a stronger sibling bond is to match the siblings up with a chore. This chore should be something that each sibling brings strength to the task. You could have a younger sibling work with an older sibling to clean the kitchen. This would entail the older sibling to handle the tasks that are higher up or heavier while the younger sibling focuses on the smaller tasks to clean the kitchen. This will help each sibling appreciate the strength of the other.
Build Listening Skills
Children develop their listening skills by watching how the adults in their life engage in conversations. If you’re constantly arguing and yelling in the household, then your children won’t learn healthy conversation habits. Practice listening skills when you sit down to eat dinner by letting each person have a say in the topic without interrupting the other person. Dinnertime conversations can lead to much laughter and happiness but also help to naturally build your children’s listening skills.
These are just a few ways you can work to build a stronger sibling bond. Remember that siblings will always bicker, this is just part of their relationship, but you can work to encourage a strong bond that’s unbreakable no matter how often they bicker.