Playful hitting

[eepster]

Lately, DS (3 1/2 yo) hits, kicks and shoves other children when he wants to play with them. I've talked to him about how the other children don't enjoy this, but it doesn't seem to really sink in.

I think a large part of the problem is that DS is tiny. Since he is almost always smaller than the other child, the other child barely reacts when DS does these things. As far as DS is concerned, since the other child doesn't cry or anything, s/he must be having fun.

Obviously, I can't convince other children to react more when DS hits them and such. How else can I get DS to understand that not everyone is having fun?

[BigC]

I was in a similar situation. My DS would hit and push kids to get their attention, but since he is in the 95th percentile he gets a much more negative response. My wife and I have taught our 3 1/2 yo to introduce himself and ask if the other child wants to play. We also find that he plays better with older kids that are better able to handle his physical size.

Cameron