Sharing Station Rotations · Social Skills for Kids

Sharing Station Rotations

• Skill focus: sharing, negotiating, patience, compromise, respectful communication

• Time: 10–15 minutes

• Materials: A small set of limited supplies (examples: one set of markers, one puzzle, a few building blocks, or onetoy) intentionally fewer than the number of participants

Setup:

Create 2–3 “stations,” each with only one set of materials.
Place 3 children at each station and assign roles:

o Owner – the person currently using the item.

o Requester – the person asking for a turn.

o Negotiator – the helper who supports both sides to reach a fair agreement.

Post simple scripts or sentence starters on a chart for kids to use (examples below).

Scripts for Practice:

• Requester:

o “May I use it when you’re done?”

o “Can we take turns?”

• Owner:

o “Sure, I’ll give it to you when I’m finished.”

o “I’m not ready yet, but we can set a timer.”

• Negotiator:

o “How about setting a timer for 2 minutes?”

o “Maybe you can both work on it together.”

o “What’s a fair way to share this?”

How to Play:

Start the round with the Owner using the supply.
The Requester politely asks for a turn, using the script.
The Negotiator steps in to help if the Owner and Requester don’t immediately agree.
Once an agreement is reached, they follow through (pass the item, set a timer, or share).
After 2–3 minutes, rotate roles so each child practices being Owner, Requester, and Negotiator.
Continue rotations until all children have tried each role.

Variations:

• Silent Round: Children use only gestures and pointing with the scripts written on cards — helps highlight bodylanguage.

• Timer Challenge: Use a sand timer or digital timer for quick rotations, making turn - taking visible andpredictable.

• Whole-Class Demo: Act out a round with volunteers before stations begin so

everyone sees how it works.

• Problem Scenarios: Introduce challenges (e.g., the Owner says “no,” or the

Requester grabs) and practice solving them respectfully.

Discussion / Reflection:

• How did it feel when you were the Owner? The Requester? The Negotiator?

• Which role was easiest? Which was hardest? Why?

• What words or strategies worked best for solving problems?

• How can we use these scripts at school, at home, or on the playground?