5 y/o snatching!!! Driving me bonkers!

[Thefirstime]

my son keeps coming home saying this one particular boy is snatching from him daily at school!!

my son is a genuine kind, gentle
soul and honestly it drives me nuts as other kids push in front of him in the playground or take stuff and he seems totally unfazed, “oh I didn’t want it anyway”..??! I have stepped in and gently reminded him
that he has a right to take his place.

it’s driving me bonkers, we have tried role play and it doesn’t go well, he just goes really quiet and says he doesn’t want to play..

I will speak to the teacher - he hasn’t developed the assertive skill - he isn’t pushing back or taking things back..

I’ve seen it even at a young age.. maybe he’s afraid of reaction..?? Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated by parents who have been through this

I suppose my question is do I get involved gently and remind him or is this the school’s job? Also, I’ve read a few things where they say the kids need to figure it out??? Surely 5 is too young!

In every classroom, at every age, there will be extraverts and introverts. There will be nice gentle souls, and a sprinkling of dominant/ bullying kids. While assertiveness is a life skill that your son has yet to learn, he is still very young and new to the school environment. He won't be the only child in the classroom upset by snatching or pushy pupils. It would be a good idea to meet with the teacher, who may already be aware of the issue. When my youngest was in school, she wasn't happy around other children, and ended up in a few fights after she bottled up how she felt about the pushy girls. At lunchtimes, she asked the teachers to use the library room to read and draw instead. At such a young age, school staff should step in and teach manners/ good behaviour. However, with the ever competing demands of school nowadays then they don't always have time. It would be worth approaching the subject with the class teacher, and if that fails then ask to see the Head.