Nearly 4yo DS has snapped 3 pieces of wooden track

[milliemuffin]

He got a huge wooden train table for Christmas and is very clever at making up different tracks and usually plays quite well with it. We are expecting DC3 any day now but we also have an 18mo DD who has recently been showing an interest and enjoys putting track together. In the last 10 days he has snapped 3 parts of track. It's only soft wood so is easily done if you try and bend the pieces. We've glued back the other 2 but now I'm wondering what's the best way for him to learn the value of his toys. Don't fix the broken pieces? Take the whole thing away for a while? (not the table but the track and the trains?).

Any advice on the best way to make him appreciate his toys?

I'm no expert on child behaviour, given the bad behaviour of my ds (4), but I'd take all the track away for eg. 2 days, explain why then when you bring it back out remind him in a positive way how he should play with it. Don't remind him of the bad thing he did otherwise he's likely to do it again as soon as he gets frustrated. I'm sure someone else will come along with more help.

I am watching with interest as my 4 year old has, in the past 24 hours, drawn in pencil in the walls (won't come off), given his 2 year old brother a marker pen and drawn all down the slide, thrown books and toys out of his bedroom window (a velux, so some are now in the guttering) and emptied a packet of hula hoops on the trampoline and jumped on them. Not all days are as bad as today, but I am getting to my wit's end in general. Can't face calling the health visitor again as all she suggests are reward charts and the naughty step - both of which we have tried and failed with. Also, we have toys that we have removed from him weeks ago, that he doesn't even seem to notice are gone. Apparently he's well behaved at school! Really hope you have more success than we have - and/or that someone suggests something that would work for us too.

I think at 4 he is quite capable of understanding consequences, so a 48 hr removal of the track might be just the ticket

Hippee, my friend who is an absolute UBER mum and totally lovely, uses this sort of behavior as a excuse to get rid of plastic tat, but it seems your lad might have quite a few toys if he hasnt even missed the last lot. I once confisgated EVERYTHING from my DS' bedroom when he threw stuff out of the wndow and he had to earn every item back... I made it very easy for him, but it really hit him hard when I did it

DreamTeamGirl - I have been considering this - it's going to be tough because effectively I'm going to have to punish his brother and sister as well (the toys are mostly in the playroom and used by all). The problem is that, if his toys aren't there, he'll just play with theirs. He also doesn't have any particular favourite toys (DS2 loves trains, but DS1 doesn't really play with any one thing consistently, he's more into imaginary play, which he can do as easily with a wooden spoon as anything else). The things he threw out of the window were joint toys or his brother's

Oooh yeah that is tough then isnt it?
I spose its just figuring out what would hit him hardest...

Also remembering that (assuming he is in Y R?) this is a truly horrible time of year for tiredness and it WILL get better after the summer break :)

Yes - he was 4 two days before the September cut off and has really been struggling with tiredness all year - he could really have done with another year at home. I know that tiredness has a lot to do with it, but it's really impacting on the whole family.

Sorry milliemuffin - I seem to have hijacked your thread.