Recently my son started a new phenomenon around here. He started telling lies! I don’t mean like real, huge lies of course, just the little white lies all toddlers tell.
In the bathtub I asked him if he had soaped up already. For the record, he hadn’t, but I thought by asking him it would remind him to use the soap. Instead he replied, “yes mommy!” Just to see what he would say, I asked him which soap he used, to which he pointed to his normal soap bottle.
More small lies have followed, but that’s to be expected at his age! Toddlers don’t always realize that they are lying, of course, and don’t often know the difference between what they wish or think was true, and what actually is the truth. Although he may not yet know the difference, I don’t think it’s too early to start talking about it!
What are some ways you talk to your kids about lying or teach them the difference between what is real and what is a story that we made up? One way I found online have been to avoid putting your child on the spot (forcing a lie) such as what I did in the bath time story. I should have acted on what I knew to be true, by simply encouraging him to use the soap. Other tips are to encourage honesty when you “catch” your toddler being honest, as well as modeling honest behavior.
I also thought it might be helpful to teach about lying through the support of books and TV shows! We love the book “Not Me” by Nicola Killen, because it shows each of the children doing something wrong and fibbing about it by saying “not me!” It’s a great starting point for discussing lying while reading the book together.
Neflix also has some great cartoons geared towards younger kids, which have episodes dealing with lying! We can watch these shows together and then talk about who wasn’t telling the truth, why they did that and what happened because of it. Here are four suggestions of shows about lying to check out this month:
1. The Gruffalo
2. Care Bears: S1E8, Untruths and Consequences
3. Veggie Tales in the House: S1E9, Lie-monade
4. Little Princess: S1E9, I Didn’t Do It
What are some ways you’ve talked to your toddler or preschooler about lying? What are you watching on Netflix this month?
I am also hosting a fun giveaway this month! I am giving away a gift code for a year subscription to Netflix streaming- no lie! Enter via rafflecopter below and good luck! Open to U.S. residents only.
Disclosure: I am a member of the Netflix #SteamTeam and Netflix has provided me with products and services in exchange for participation. All opinions are my own.