What can a 3 yr old understand about stealing?

[Hermione123]

Dd keeps taking another child's gloves at nursery. After getting into trouble for it earlier in the week, she brought them home over the weekend and said the other child said she could have them. We were dubious and this morning we found out that the other child hadn't said dd could have them. Is it just a case of saying you can't take other people's things as you wouldn't like it if they took yours? Not sure what's appropriate based on what she can understand.

A three year old can understand this person's property/that person's property.

The problem has to do more with not having the emotional development to CARE whose it is. They're very self-centric, so if they want something, it seems more important they have it than that it doesn't belong to them.

At this point, I would just continue to explain gently that xx item doesn't belong to them, it belong to xx person. Xx person will be sad to not have this, as you would be if they took your thing. Talk about how they feel when their things go missing. I would also talk about fibbing, that it isn't nice and it has consequences.

If it continues much longer I would consider discipline such as (after warning) temporarily taking away a possession or a privilege.

Thanks misspryde, seems sensible.