5 year old telling lies - any ideas?

[goodgrief54]

My 5 year old ds is happy and bright but has started telling lies both at home and in school. For example, I found out this morning that yesterday he had told the teacher that he did not have his PE kit and so he did not have to do PE. On checking his peg this morning it was there. I know this sounds as if he just did not want to do PE but this is not the first fib he has told recently and it seems to be turning into a habit that is getting worse. Other things he has lied about include washing his hands, who started an argument, etc.

Has anyone had experience of dealing with this as I really want to nip it in the bud before the lies get out of hand.

Thanks for any tips

Telling lies is a developmental stage and often starts around this age. Obviously, you must pick him up on it each time and teach him that it's not acceptable, but it doesn't mean that he has a dishonest personality. He has worked out that saying things that aren't true can help him get his own way, which is intelligent of him, now he has to know that he's not supposed to do that.