DD (6) being really badly behaved since going back to school....

[DarlingDuck]

First few days of holidays were hard, she then calmed down and was great. She has now gone back to school and her behaviour is vile, screaming, shouting, making annoying noises, being moody and refusing to talk to anyone, being grumpy, being very mean to her two younger brothers and answering back, I am exhausted! She has been on the naughty mat 3 times already this morning!

What's going on?! I know some of the children at her school are quite boisterous, could it be to do with that?

Bump

Tired? Your DD I mean! My 6 yo has been foul all week but I do think it's largely because he's exhausted. I'm trying to get him into bed earlier and be a little more tolerant but it's hard , especially when he's taking it out on siblings.

Hopefully it will get better over the next week.

Tired and unsettled.
My 7 year old is somewhat annoying at the moment

I guess it is quite disorientating going into a new year with a new teacher and sometimes young children can't articulate how they feel, perhaps they don't even know that is how they feel, it just comes out in their behaviour. Will get her to bed earlier and take a snack with me when I pick her up in case it's hunger

Oh yes hunger - I remember with DS1 going through a stage of giving him his dinner at 4.30 when he started year 1 and it did help his behaviour.

She sounds stressed. My DD was quite stressed last week, going back to school with a new class, new teacher etc. Give her some extra TLC! How about sticking her in the bath with some music/toys/a biscuit the minute she gets home from school, then put her in pyjamas with a favourite film? Should calm her down.

It's odd how they react differently - 3 of my DCs went/go back to school with a new teacher etc and barely blink - water off a duck's back. The youngest hates change and reacts really badly - regardless of how much he likes the teacher, how happy he is at school etc. The first few weeks in September are always hard work with him.

And of course they save the bad behaviour for home. I think give her time to settle down again, and if she's still playing up in a couple of weeks check with the teacher that there's nothing going on at school you should know about. And pick your battles meanwhile - zero tolerance for the really bad stuff, but be careful not to over-react.