Having an older brother can be an adventure and constant learning, since we are talking about a unique experience where children can teach each other many things, as well as accompany each other.
In the case of older siblings, children learn many things from them. However, we have to be careful here, and not give the older children the “role of example”, or the obligation of having to teach, do everything well so that the younger siblings learn…
Why? Because this can put pressure on them, and it is not their duty to assume it either. Thus, we must approach it as a natural process that, moreover, occurs many times without the children themselves realizing it.
Because the magic of all this is that the older ones teach the little ones just as they learn it, unconsciously, which makes this teaching-learning process happen in a natural and unique way .
We are talking about an experiential and experiential learning, which is not learned in books but, nevertheless, is useful for life.
What things do children learn from their older siblings naturally? We talk about some of them and why they are such valuable learning for them.
9 Things Kids Learn Naturally From Their Older Siblings
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It is a reality: older children, when they do not yet have siblings, enjoy the privilege of having all the attention and time of their parents (or much of it). But when they become big brothers they realize that sometimes they will have to share that time with their little brother.
But they are not only forced to share time with mom and dad, but also toys, spaces, the room on some occasions…
And all this, although it may cost them at first, is actually a value and a quality that will always serve them.
Of course, they also learn that not everything has to be shared, and that sometimes they can (and should) choose, since they also have the right to their independence and to have their own things.
Setting limits: assertiveness
In line with the previous point, young children can also learn to set limits of when yes and when not, which has to do with assertiveness (for example: when I leave the toys and when not, when we can spend some time together and when not…).
And it is that assertiveness is the ability to express one’s own desires without disrespecting the other, with sincerity and honesty.
Tolerance for frustration
Thus, the children, if they see that they cannot have everything at first, since their siblings tell them “not now”, “this yes and this no”, for example, little by little they will integrate the message that not always they can have everything at first, which will favor their tolerance for frustration, waiting, etc.
Teaching is fun too
Although we should not relegate to the older children the task of “teaching” and “being an example” for the little ones (because that can generate pressure for them, and they do not have to go through it), the truth is that, inevitably, the older brothers will teach many things to the little ones, and often without realizing it.
And that’s nice too. Teach by example, unconsciously, and see that the little ones are also getting older and that they are imitating some behaviors and reproducing certain learnings.
Team work
Another of the things that older siblings teach their little ones, sometimes also without realizing it, is the usefulness of teamwork.
And it is that, a brother is, surely, the best teammate that one can have. He is more than just a friend, someone with full confidence with whom you can ally and complement each other, achieving great challenges together.
Being able to count on someone to keep your secrets
Young children who have older siblings also learn that they have someone by their side whom they can trust, and to whom they can tell their secrets, concerns…
This often happens so naturally that they don’t even realize it, but one day they suddenly feel the need to explain their intimate things to someone, and they look at their side and there is their older brother or sister, who never fails them.
The value of trust
Another of the things that children learn from their older siblings, and in line with the above, is the value of trust (both the trust they place in their siblings and vice versa).
Thus, as a result of telling each other things, they will realize how important it is to learn to trust someone and that that person also trusts us.
Respect
Another value that little ones can learn from their elders is the value of respect. Learn to respect the other’s space, their toys, to ask for things with permission, to knock on the door before entering…
Things that seem banal but in reality are not, since they carry great messages that will serve children forever and in other contexts (studies, work when they are older…).
The important thing about having fun “without more”
The importance of having fun is also a fundamental learning in childhood that little ones can learn from their elders through the games they invent, for example, the time they share, the pranks they do together…
That is, the mere enjoyment to enjoy. And this has to do with intrinsic motivation when doing things, which we already talked about in a previous article; do things for the mere pleasure of doing them, not to “get something” or for a specific purpose, beyond having fun .
“They say that friends are brothers who choose each other, but brothers are friends who love each other.”
Photos | Portada (freepik)
