Aggresive behaviour from an angel!?!

[nickiey]

Please please help, I just dont know what to do.
My Son will be 3 in December, he started going to Pre-School a few weeks ago and has developed some bad behaviour that is shocking me.
He started at school 3 weeks ago, the class is of 30, I wasnt too impressed with the level of interaction with the children so we set about looking for a smaller group where there would be more oportunity for him to build relationships with other kids and the staff. I took him today for his taster session, there were 4 other kiddies in the class and 3 staff.At first he was fine, but when they went outside to play he started running around pusshing and shoving anyone near him, once back inside he seemed to settle down but a little girl started to play with a hoover that he had been playing with 5 mins earlier ans he snatched it off her and the swung it at her hitting her hand. I was mortified.
He is such a sweet child with adults, but with other children he just changes, it was the same at the other playgroup too but we put it down to being such a large group with no adult interaction.
I just dont know what to do to stop him being agressive, I really dont want him to be the child that people dislike or dont want in their class because he is such a lovely boy at home, complient and loving.
We praise him alot and he rewards us at home or in the company of adults by being an angel-where has this negative behaviour come from?

nickiey, hi

ds's negative behaviour has come from him mixing with the outside world.. unfortunately we can't shield our little ones, they have to meet others- and the effect varies from person to person.

What your ds is doing is perfectly normal (ask any HV etc) He is basically 'marking' his territory..
Of course no-one likes to see their child behave 'badly' but honestly, They all do it at some point.
Sounds like he needs to have more time with children, and to 'learn' the rules as it were..
You- or another adult just needs to be around to 'teach' him the appropriate rules of engagement!

try not to worry tho.. we have all been there to some degree!

I think sometimes they also just get over excited & a bit manic and go charging round & being generally very silly (well my DS does anyway !) He probably can't believe all the new toys & things to do at nursery & is just a bit over awed by it all. I'm sure it will pass & he will soon settle down

My Ds was 3 on Tuesday and a month or so he started behaving similarly, i'm of the opinion that they want to play with the other kids but haven't got the language skills to initiate play so resort to pushing. If my DS behaves like that he gets told off, then he gets told off and a time out and third time we go home - if he can't play nice, he can't play at all. I have only taken him home twice so far, he seems to be getting the message ;-)

So far as the snatching of toys go, I reckon its all about kids working out whos the dominating personality in the group and them trying their luck a lot of the time as toddlers are selfish beasts (love 'em).

He'll grow out of it, especially if you correct him and show him how to interact with his peers.