I am thrilled to have Rachael from Adventures in Wunderland on the blog today sharing her awesome tips about how to build a strong sibling bond. I’m a big fan of Rachael’s and I’m so excited to introduce her to you!
You can often hear the word ‘team’ being mentioned around our house. Not because of the sports that the children play but rather because that is what we consider our family.
We are not just five people living in a house but instead, each family member is part of this team. We have always made it a point to teach the children that in order for a our family to be successful we all have important roles to be played.
One of those roles is supporting each other.
After all, if teammates did not support each other, tasks would never be completed and games would never be won.
So, how do we encourage this sibling support?
Aside from often reminding the children of their important roles as part of the team, there are few things that we do to ensure they are supporting each other and are genuinely learning to care for others accomplishments rather than just their own.
Lead by Example:
Children learn best by example and that starts with the parents. My husband and I always support each other first. Sometimes it is simple in sharing household duties, other times attending an awards ceremony for the other, but we always show our support to each other. In turn we show support to each of the children, so that they learn to show support to each other.
Cheer Them On:
We make it a point to show up for everything. When you are a child there truly is no milestone too small, and I am always there cheering and clapping. For sporting events, recitals, and school achievement awards, they will find me there. This example along with the feeling of self accomplishment gives them the know-how to support the other members of the family. Even babies and toddlers can often use a cheering section. When we praise one child for an accomplishment, I will hear the others chime in with their approvals as well.
Encourage Individuality:
Each of our children are unique with different talents and I always encourage them to find their own. Just because one is singing does not mean that I will sign the other up. We don’t put all the kids in the same sport because it’s convenient but rather let them choose their own so that they can excel. This individuality sets them apart from one another and allows opportunities to see the others shine in their element.
Stick Together:
No matter what, we stick together. This one may shock some parents but it is well worth it for us even if sometimes difficult. We take the entire family to every dance recital, baseball game, awards ceremony, football practice, and choir performance. Yes, there are times when it just doesn’t work out, and of course there are days that would be much easier if half of us stayed home, but for the most part you will always find us together. Supporting each other. It is how our “team” works.
How do you create a strong sibling bond between your kids?
This is great! Sibling harmony was also a huge priority for me and my husband. We really wanted our kids to get along from the start, and to be lifelong friends.
The biggest help has been praising them for when they act kindly to one another, especially when they do things we didn’t ask them to but out of their own initiative. And when one of the younger ones bother my eldest, we say it’s because he wants to learn from his big brother and encourage him to teach him.
So far so good 🙂
I agree! One of my favorite quotes is “praise what you want to raise”. Sibling harmony is important for me too. My boys are still pretty young, I hope I can help them build a good relationship with one another.
Love this 🙂 I especially love your focus on taking everyone to all the events….it’s easy to take the “divide and conquer” route when there are multiple kids (necessary at times of course) but a great reminder to keep everyone together.
We also see our family as a team and have come up with a team cheer to help with the process. I also chatted with our kids about how our big team (the 5 of us) is made up of two smaller teams (a mommy/daddy team and a kid team) and how important it is that those two smaller teams always stick together. This conversation helped nicely with some tattling that was happening!
Our kids aren’t old enough to be involved in any real “team” sports etc…but they still identified with it and recognized that it meant we needed to work together, respect one another and look out for each other while working toward a common goal.
I love this! We also focus on strong sibling relationships. I often require my children to work together to complete tasks. This way they learn how to work as a team to accomplish their goals. Thanks for sharing!
Yes!!
This was exactly how we raised our family. As much as possible we all went to every band, orchestra, choir concert, football game, swim meet, and track meet to support each other. My five children are now in their late twenties and early thirties. Looking back, I think this was one of the key things for building our strong family team. It is a mindset. We support each other (even if it might be boring to the others). Start young and siblings can be their own greatest cheerleaders!