Tattling vs. Reporting

Once the kids hit preschool, they are getting towards that age where they want to tattle. This is a difficult and somewhat touchy subject to teach to your children as you don't want them being afraid of tattling when something is seriously wrong but you also don't want them to tell you everything that they see without trying to fix it themselves first. There are a few ways to go about explaining these to your child without pulling up a powerpoint.

First, the differences between tattling and reporting can be told as follows: reporting is what you do when you are concerned about safety or something is of the upmost importance. Tattling is what you do to gain attention and tell on someone to get them in trouble. The easiest way for children to decipher whether or not it would be tattling or reporting is safety. If someone isn't or won't get hurt (physically or emotionally) from what is happening, then they should keep it to themselves.

Next, we all know a child doesn't listen the best when they are sitting and being forced to do something. They learn best by example. So let's give them some. Make up some flashcards or signs for the walls with examples of each thing. Some ideas:

Tattling:
- Susie is kicking Billy's seat and he finds it annoying.
- Billy stole Susie's toy.
- Susie made a nasty face towards the teacher when she wasn't looking.

Reporting:
- Billy shoved Susie and now she's crying.
- Susie told Billy that she is going to punch him if he plays near her.
- Billy snuck out of the house and is by himself outside.

Run through these different examples with your children until they understand the concept clearly. Let them smack the wall signs with a fly swatter. Give them a gummy bear each time they get a flashcard right. Let them jump from tattle to tattle and report to report. There are so many fun ways to incorporate this lesson into your daily routine. Not only is this something good for them to know for once they're in grade school, but it is also important for those children who are more quiet to know to speak up when something is wrong. We could always use more voices than we need.

Lastly, continue to teach this while they grow and learn more on their own. Tattling vs. reporting is not just for playground happenings at school; it is also for speaking up about things that they will deeply care about once they get older. Teach your kids to be their own person and speak about their passions and strengths rather than their own or other's weaknesses.