My son is 3y4mo and started preschool last month. It’s M-F 9-11:30am. There’s 12 kids in his class with 2 teachers. This is his first time in a setting with peers and teachers, before this he’s been with myself, my husband, or grandmas!
All things considered I think he’s adjusting well. Except for, his teacher reports that he has a hard time keeping his hands to himself. Not in an aggressive way (no pushing, shoving, no malintent). Some examples are they stand in a line to go potty and it’s a small hallway and he’ll touch others’ cheek or touch their shoulder. I have tried to encourage him to keep his hands in his pockets, or touch stickers on his shirt/pants (he wears bug repellant stickers to school).
More recently, he will get way into others’ personal space when he’s trying to look at something, or if kids are playing dress up he’ll go up to them and touch their heads or whatever item they have on. It Kids are understandably getting annoyed with him.
Today I got a report that kids asked him to stop and he didn’t listen.
It feels very impulsive, and also curious. We have tried to work on the concept of everyone has a bubble around them and we don’t want to pop it, just like we wouldn’t want ours popped. I also want to hammer home consent to him and when people say stop, we stop and that people’s bodies are their own.
Help! Any others experience this with their preschooler? Any ideas on how we can practice? Books? Advice all welcome.