My child is getting into a lot of trouble at school.

Question: My son is 4 he will be 5 on the 20/02/2012, so he is the very youngest in his class. He is big for his age and very bright, so the school said he was ready to go to school. However, is having difficulty settling.

The school is very good and supportive, but he is put home at lunch time 3 to 4 times a week due to bad behavior. This ranges from being cheeky to adults to not listening, fighting with other children, running away and hiding.

He is a very loving little boy, but he has a very strong and difficult personality. He knows his own mind and it can not be changed come hell or high water.

He will get hyper around other children and always seems to be the odd one out. I have a daughter who is 15 months older in the same school she has no problems.

I am doing everything I can to reinforce he must to the line at school. There is some progress in the classroom, but as soon as he is in the play ground it's out the window. He is saying it's the other children. Please help.

Y

Answer: Despite being very big for his age and bright, it is even more important for him to be socially ready for school. Perhaps going for a full day at his age is not right for him or being around kids that are so much older than him is very difficult for him to handle socially.

I would imagine that if you waited and had him restart in the fall you may find that a lot of these behavioral problems won't exist due to his maturity level being much better and in a class with other kids not only his age, but also at a similar developmental level.

It's never a good idea to rush a child into school that is not socially ready and boys tend to develop at a slower pace socially than girls. You may also consider reading my free ebook - Child Behavior Guide: What you need to know to see if there are some proactive interventions, such as making sure he is getting the recommended hours of sleep for his age every night, that would help for his behavior if you choose to try and keep him in school this year.