{Sibling Rivalry} The "Be Nice" Jar

Im not going to lie (what would be the point?!) some days the holidays are challenging.  Over tired kids, crappy UK weather and tired Mummy can make for not great days.  Yesterday was one of those days.  Since L is now old enough to argue back with her sister, some days see my two girlies do nothing but fight!! 

I got so fed up of asking them to say sorry to each other after they had pushed, bickered, hit, taken toys away from each other (they're nice kids really - honest!).  I got to a point where I realised just saying sorry really wasnt having the desired effect i.e. they'd say it then carry on arguing.  I wanted to give them something to occupy them and create a happier vibe.  Cue, the "Be Nice" jar!  

Its a similar concept to the "Im Bored" jar where you put a bunch of suggestions on sticks and whoever is the offender gets to pick one out.  I used an Ikea spice jar and some craft sticks written on in biro and I prettied it up with some ribbon and card.  All the sticks have nice suggestions on them to do for the other...

Things like "Draw a picture for your sister" and "Give your sister a hug".  It really wasnt long before I got to put it to the test.

M picked out "Draw a picture for your sister" and drew her this.  Sweet huh?!  It took her mind off whatever she was squabbling over (I dont even remember) and got her to focus her attentions to doing something nice.  All in all, a resounding success!  We got to use the "Be Nice" jar another four or five times before the day was out....Im a bit suspicious they enjoy it too much but hey ho, it still had the desired effect as there wasnt much bickering at all. Hurrah! 

UPDATE: I've had a couple of requests to include what I've written on the sticks for the jar. There are one or two I've included a couple of times as I thought they were good ones!! Here is what I included...

- Give your sister a hug
- Smile nicely at your sister
- Ask your sister if she would like to play
- Help your sister tidy up her toys
- Help your sister with something
- Draw your sister a picture
- Give your sister a kiss
- Play a board game with your sister
- Find a tv programme your sister would like to watch
- Tell your sister a joke
- Colour a picture with your sister

Liking up to:

http://fun-a-day.com/
http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/