Window Notes Template
What facts did you note?
Sibling competition impacts the
development of other children in
the family.
Labels (the “scholar”, the “social”
child, the “creative” child…etc.)
can result in increased
competitiveness and impact self
esteem by giving children the idea
that they can only succeed in one
area (athleticism, academics, social
skills, creativity).
Siblings that are very close in age,
siblings that are the same gender,
siblings of an extremely gifted
child, and a family of children with
one who is much younger are all
sibling combinations that
predispose children toward
underachievement.
Sibling competition, especially
when the oldest sibling is very
talented, can result in younger
siblings underachieving as a way to
seek attention and gain family
recognition (even if it is negative).
Some level of sibling rivalry or
competition is not a negative thing
and parents should not strive to
eliminate it. Children are expected
to have differences and should
What feelings did you have?
● As I was reading the article, I
thought about past students
I have had where I could
clearly see the impact of
sibling rivalry. I specifically
thought of a female student I
had whose younger female
sister was gifted, while she
was not. I saw the tole this
took on her confidence. It did
not push her towards
underachievement, but
instead it caused her to put a
great deal of pressure on
herself.
● I thought about the few
times that I have had twins
in my class. Even though it is
natural to make some
comparisons, it is important
that teachers avoid labeling
as well. Sibling rivalries can
be challenging enough
without teachers reinforcing
the same harmful labels and
ideas children may get at
home.
● I liked the idea of parents
explaining the idea of a
“whole smart family” so they
can understand that one
child’s success and
have the opportunity to explore
and find healthy ways to argue and
express those differences.
What questions came up for
you?
How has social media
increased awareness of sibling
stereotypes? (First born,
middle child, youngest)
How can teachers help to
minimize sibling rivalry in
sibling groups with gifted
learners?
Why does having a gifted
sibling sometimes lead to a
better behaved child?
What are some resources for
teaching students that fair
doesn’t mean the same?
achievement does not limit
that of others.
What ideas were sparked?
The way we, as teachers or
parents, label students affects how
they see themselves. If you call one
sibling the smart one, the others
will believe they are not as smart
as their brother.
Drop-out and rebellious gifted
students’ attitudes could stem
from having gifted older siblings.
They are rebelling against their
own abilities to gain attention,
negative or positive, from their
parents.
Our expectations, as parents and
teachers, have a bigger impact on
how siblings get along. If you
expect your children/students to
get along, and provide necessary
support, you are setting them up
for success.
Tips for parents to help promote a
healthy relationship between
siblings:
● refrain from labeling your
children
● spend quality time with each
child
● Ensure that each child gets
their time to share during
conversation
 ● Avoid letting one child be
more privileged than the
other (Sally has to take out
the trash but Johnny has to
clean three bathrooms)
● If one child is struggling with
academics, knowledge that
struggle and how it must
emotionally affect them.
Address the emotional need,
not the expectation for being
a high achiever.
How to adapt these tips for
educators/ Implementation Plan:
● Refrain from labeling your
students
● make time to build
relationships with each of
your students
● Let all children have equal
opportunities to share
● When addressing academic
struggles with students,
account for how the student
is emotionally struggling
with their lack of success
when speaking to them.
● One way to use 3 of these
tips is to implement sharing
good news with your class
every morning. Every
student is given the
opportunity to share one
good thing with the class
while everyone else listens
 Sources

http://www.sylviarimm.com/article_sibcomp.html
https://www.stthomas.edu/media/project2excel/pdf/files/Sib
lings-complete.pdf