What to expect on Preschool Behavior
Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:39 am
Child behaviour concerns in the preschool years
Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal part of children’s development, and preschoolers often fear things like being on their own or being in the dark. If your child worries too much or shows signs of anxiety, you can support her by acknowledging her fear, gently encouraging her to do things she’s anxious about and praising her when she does. If anxiety is affecting your child’s life, see your GP.
Bullying
Bullying can be devastating for children’s confidence and self-esteem, especially in the preschool years. If your child is being bullied at preschool, he needs lots of love and support, both at home and at preschool. He also needs to know that you’ll take action to prevent any further bullying.
Fighting
Disagreements and fighting among children are very common. A few factors affect fighting – temperament, environment, age and skills. You can work with these factors to handle fighting in your family.
Habits
Lots of children have habits, like biting nails or twirling hair. Your child’s habits might bother you, but usually it’s nothing to worry about. Most habits go away by themselves.
Lying
You might have caught your child telling the occasional lie. Lying is part of development, and it often starts around three years of age. It’s usually better to teach young children the value of honesty and telling the truth than to punish them for small lies.
Shyness
Shy behaviour is normal in preschoolers. If your child is slow to warm up, try to support her in social situations. For example, you could stay at preschool for a while in the mornings during the early days. It’s also good to praise your child for brave social behaviour, like responding to others, using eye contact, or playing away from you.
Tantrums
If your child has tantrums, it might help to remember that he’s still learning appropriate ways to express feelings. If you work on reducing your child’s stress, tuning into your child’s feelings, and spotting your child’s tantrum triggers, you should see fewer tantrums after he turns four.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal part of children’s development, and preschoolers often fear things like being on their own or being in the dark. If your child worries too much or shows signs of anxiety, you can support her by acknowledging her fear, gently encouraging her to do things she’s anxious about and praising her when she does. If anxiety is affecting your child’s life, see your GP.
Bullying
Bullying can be devastating for children’s confidence and self-esteem, especially in the preschool years. If your child is being bullied at preschool, he needs lots of love and support, both at home and at preschool. He also needs to know that you’ll take action to prevent any further bullying.
Fighting
Disagreements and fighting among children are very common. A few factors affect fighting – temperament, environment, age and skills. You can work with these factors to handle fighting in your family.
Habits
Lots of children have habits, like biting nails or twirling hair. Your child’s habits might bother you, but usually it’s nothing to worry about. Most habits go away by themselves.
Lying
You might have caught your child telling the occasional lie. Lying is part of development, and it often starts around three years of age. It’s usually better to teach young children the value of honesty and telling the truth than to punish them for small lies.
Shyness
Shy behaviour is normal in preschoolers. If your child is slow to warm up, try to support her in social situations. For example, you could stay at preschool for a while in the mornings during the early days. It’s also good to praise your child for brave social behaviour, like responding to others, using eye contact, or playing away from you.
Tantrums
If your child has tantrums, it might help to remember that he’s still learning appropriate ways to express feelings. If you work on reducing your child’s stress, tuning into your child’s feelings, and spotting your child’s tantrum triggers, you should see fewer tantrums after he turns four.