How to Stop Biting at Preschool

By Anisha Nair - Updated: December 13, 2018

In this Article

Here Are Some Ways Parents and Teachers Can Tackle The Situation with Care

Your little angel is slowly turning into a pint-sized dracula? Fret not! Here’s the lowdown on preschooler biting tendencies. Is it normal? Read on to find out.

It’s kindergarten time and everything is going okay till one day your innocent little angel’s teacher gives you some news. Your baby has developed a method of getting his way – biting! When did your non-aggressive child learn this habit?

Don’t worry, biting is completely normal at this age. You need to remember that your baby’s mouth is the first part of the body that learns to get tense. That is why when your child is troubled, all the tension goes straight to his mouth and results in a bite. This bite is not intentional; the poor chap does not know how else to express the trouble! It is actually his way of crying out for help.

Here Are Some Ways Parents and Teachers Can Tackle The Situation with Care

1. Give Space

Some children are a lot more sensitive than others about space. Teachers who recognize this could perhaps find a spot for the child to play that would not enable other kids to encroach. Of course, this does not mean the child sits separately. It is just enough space for the child to feel secure and safe.

2. Reduce Noise

Loud sounds can aggravate some children. Play-time usually means ‘noisy-time’. Maybe the child could wear earmuffs or if that idea is not supported by the school, teachers could use soothing music during play time to change the atmosphere of the room.

3. Mentor

Some schools assign a member of the staff to keep an eye out for the child who is resorting to biting or other forms of aggression. This is so that the staff member can calm the child down gently. Most kids pick up on habits soon, so correcting this issue does not take too long.

4. Stories

You can also make up stories of brave children or animals who get their toys stolen and want to bite, but control their urge and use gentle words instead. Examples and positive reinforcement works greatly for children at this age.

Of course, you are the biggest influencer in your baby’s life so gently talking to your child will help too. Studies and experiments show that redirecting the impulse to something else works better than trying to correct it.

Once a child learns to express better, the biting stage eventually wears out. The only thing to keep in mind is that at no cost must you encourage it, lest it lead to aggressive personality traits in the future. Your little vampire will soon learn that biting is solely for food and you can have a good laugh about it then!

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