When one sibling destroys what another is playing with, start by validating the upset child's feelings instead of dismissing them or punishing the other kid. Say something like "You spent ages building that tower, and your brother knocked it over. That's so disappointing." Then ask what you could do together to fix it.
'No! He knocked my tower over!' Instead of, 'Oh, never mind, darling, we'll just build you another one,' which usually gets this kind of reaction— 'I hate my brother and I'm gonna go and hit him really hard!' Instead of saying, 'No, you must not hit your brother, that's very bad,' try this approach from the beginning. 'Oh, you are so upset, you took Ages to build that tower, and then your baby brother just came and knocked it over. That is just so disappointing. No wonder you feel so upset about it. Hmm. Oh dear, it just probably makes you so cross. I wonder what we could do? If you'd like to learn more about this approach, click below and find out.
