Montessori response to hitting

[musigny]

My son (he's 3) has been hit several times by another boy (same size) in his class. What should I tell DS to do if he is hit? I notice that he puts his elbows and arms up to block the hits, and sometimes pushes back, but I don't think that is the right response. TIA

[RomanGoddess]

Originally Posted by musigny

My son (he's 3) has been hit several times by another boy (same size) in his class. What should I tell DS to do if he is hit? I notice that he puts his elbows and arms up to block the hits, and sometimes pushes back, but I don't think that is the right response. TIA

Well, I can't tell you what Dr. Montessori said but I think that your son's response is fine. He is not hitting back, just defending himself by blocking the hit and pushing the person away. I think you should perhaps ask the teacher what you should tell your son to do. This is also a good way of letting the teacher know that your son is being hit.

[fluffernutter]

We encourage the kids to 'use their words' whenever they have any kind of problem with another kid. We usually have them say, "I don't like it when you..." In the case of hitting, we let the hitter know that it's not okay to hurt our friends. If it's really severe we'll have them sit down and collect themselves and then talk about it again.

[famousmockngbrd]

The teacher should intervene. She should mediate by helping each child express how they feel, using words. I don't see anything wrong with what your DC did. He was defending himself nonviolently. Both kids need help with verbalizing their feelings.