How to help children overcome feelings of jealousy.

Envy is a subtle emotion that arises when children see others possessing something more than themselves.Mom JunctionHere are some suggestions to help reduce or eliminate feelings of jealousy in children.

Listen to children

In most cases, jealousy and envy stem from deep within and are not easily expressed. To address this, parents must encourage children to speak up and listen. Talk to your child to understand why they are envious of others. It's possible your child has lower self-confidence and is unsure of their own abilities.

Turn envy into motivation.

Helping children develop positive motivation is the best way to eliminate feelings of envy. For example, if a child's friend gets high grades, encourage and motivate your child to study hard to achieve good results. When children put in the effort to study, they will no longer focus on surpassing others and will have a proper purpose for learning.

Teach children the importance of sharing.

Children tend to harbor resentment towards other children without a specific reason. In such cases, teach them the importance of sharing and empathy. Tell them stories about underprivileged or homeless children, so they understand that what they have is something many people envy. This will help them overcome feelings of insecurity and inferiority, and foster a more compassionate nature.

Don't compare children to others.

Comparing your child to others in terms of academic achievement, musical talent, or athletic ability doesn't make them more diligent or motivated. On the contrary, it only increases resentment and envy in children, and makes them feel useless and hurt.

Encourage children's unique abilities.

Every child wants to hear their parents talk about their strengths. Perhaps your child isn't good at math, but excels at sudoku; perhaps they don't know how to play soccer, but are a talented artist. Parents need to discover their child's abilities and strengths, encourage and nurture them so that the child feels confident and doesn't feel inferior to other children.

Teach children how to cooperate.

If your child is jealous of another child, parents should create opportunities for them to cooperate on a task. It's possible that when you mention this, the child might not like it and be unwilling to cooperate. Your task is to help your child understand that the other child isn't as unpleasant as they think.

Creating moments of sharing, cooperation, and mutual support among children will help them play together and dispel any feelings of jealousy that may have existed.