No Cupcake for a Pincher?

[Ariana]

He's 4 years old....and can tie his own shoes. I can't imagine any mitten he couldn't get off.

Can you be creative in ways to keep them on?

[e.j.]

What I need help on now is what to do about a 4yo boy who constantly uses potty words at meals and snacks. Having him sit alone or having him go to time out during play doesn’t work. I think it’s become a game with him because the others laugh about it. I’ve tried telling the class that words like poopyhead, peepeeface, and diaperbutt are not funny and that they shouldn’t laugh but most of these kids are only 3. He’s one of the oldest in the class and something of a leader. Aside from the bathroom words he’s a pretty good kid and very smart. Talking to him about it doesn’t seem to work and I debating on having a talk with mom. He has a couple of older brothers so I’m sure this is where he learns these words.

I tell the kids that I have a potty talk rule: Bathroom words need to be used in the bathroom. When they start using potty talk, I remind them of my rule and ask them to move it to the bathroom. It's funny to them at first and I'll hear a string of potty words come out of their mouths until they can't think of another word or until they get bored. I'll say something like, "Come on; get it all out of your system and then you can come back to the table." (It's almost always at lunch when they start to talk that way!) Once they get back to the table, they might try it again but being sent off to the bathroom where there's no audience to laugh gets boring pretty quickly. I usually only have to send the same kid to the bathroom once or twice - 3 times max - and then it stops.

Hwichlaz: As far as the cupcake is concerned, given the regulation about food you have to follow, I would have done the same thing you did. I would have him sit in time out for pinching and then served his cupcake after the other kids were done and away from the table and explained why he didn't get to eat his with the rest of the kids.