Parents can play a key role in helping nurture a good sibling relationship and reduce sibling rivalry and conflict. Parents can develop sibling relationship by encouraging activities that foster teamwork, and by giving kids the tools to solve conflicts constructively and respectfully.

No matter how different your kids are from each other, there are several ways that you can do as a parent to foster sibling relationship.

• Figure out what’s behind sibling conflicts

Try to figure out the reasons behind the fight between the siblings. Once you can figure out the reason, try to address those issues either by spending one-on-one time with each child or trying to help your child find better, non-antagonizing ways to get a sibling’s attention.

• Have them team up for chores

Parents can design activities for the siblings that include teamwork and cooperation like sweeping or cleaning utensils. Kids can do these activities and race against the grown-ups in the house who also do the same activity. Both of these teams can compete with each other, and this encourages kids to work together on a common goal.

• Do not compare your kids

One of the most important things that parents should take care of is that they should not say things like “Why can’t you listen as well as your brother does?” or “Your sister doesn’t talk back to me.” comparing your children to each other leads to rivalry and feelings of resentment among siblings.

• Build their listening skills

Parents should teach their kids to be patient and listen to others’ viewpoints and perspective without jumping in between while the talk is going on. This helps them to empathize with others and understand others’ opinions as well.

• Teach siblings to appreciate each others’ differences

All people are different from each other in terms of interests, and temperaments and conflicts can naturally occur.

One of the most important things is to teach kids how to respect those differences and love each other. Parents can explore the different interests of their children and develop some kind of activities that are liked by both siblings, and both of them enjoy doing those things.

• Teach the importance of respect

Respect is essential for building good relationships, whether it’s between friends, relatives, cousins, family members, etc. Parents should remind kids that they should treat others the way they want to be treated.

Respect can include talking with a nice tone even when both siblings are disagreeing on a topic, not letting down others’ opinions, and being mindful of someone’s space and belonging.

• Make time for fun

Families that spend some quality time and have fun together are less likely to have conflicts. Try to choose games and activities that can be enjoyed by the whole family, such as riding bikes or watching a great new movie for kids.

If your kids don’t bond with each other very well, it’s not usually a very big problem. But if they seem at odds and if it’s creating problems for your family, then you can take advice from your paediatrician. A physician might be able to offer some ideas about how to develop a close bond among siblings.

Image source: Google