I’m here to tell you the solution to sibling bickering; rock, paper, scissors! If you don’t know what this is, I made a video below to explain how to use rock, paper, and scissors.
As you can see this seems like such a fun and silly way to help siblings work together. What I knew, as a mom, was that I wanted to help my three kids learn how to work through some sibling issues on their own (perhaps with my guidance at times).
They all have very big feelings, opinions, and so forth as do most humans, so how can you help your children learn to come to an agreement? Rock, Paper, Scissors works because:
You’re giving the siblings a rule book to follow; each must follow the rules of the rock, paper, scissors game and they agree before the game starts that whoever wins and in what order gets that YES or whatever it is that they’re fighting over.
You’re teaching kids to have some sort of “contract” that they agree to the rules of (rock, paper, scissors rules), no matter the outcome.
You’re allowing them to communicate, each has to say rock, paper, scissors, SHOOT! before each lays out their choice.
You’ll be encouraging giggles, laughter, and chatter as they discuss how one sibling may be better at the game than the other.
Now, I suppose you could end up with one sibling winning more than the other which would cause a little upset with some siblings. If you have any siblings who feel “that person always wins”, then encourage that sibling to use a book or watch some videos to learn how to become a pro at this game.
Here are some items I found that may be helpful in this situation:
How do I implement your rock, paper, scissors rule with siblings if I have one child?
Ahhh, very good question! So if you have one child and you want to try this rule out, then just have the parent do it with the child. Both parents or one parent, can have fun doing this. It will help you bond with your child, and let them know that some choices can be made by them.
I believe allowing your child to have some sort of choice in various things, gives them that feeling of having some power in their life. These choices may be small things like “Can I watch this movie tonight?” or “Who will sit in the front seat”, versus “What time is my bedtime” … but they are choices nonetheless, and each little choice (something you feel is “small” and non-important, is a BIG deal to that child), your child starts to feel empowered positively.
In conclusion, I love using this process because it cuts out that sibling bickering that I know I had with my little sister growing up. It encourages a more joyful household, and it helps the siblings learn creative ways to solve problems as they get older.
Can you imagine being that teenager in the middle of an argument and pulling out the rock, paper, scissors solution? I can. I have been that person and so have my kids. It is beautiful! It totally transitions the anger or upset to laughter and joy.