What should I do about my son throwing things?

My 5 year old picks up just about anything outside and throws it for fun. Sticks, rocks, walnuts, anything he can. Sometimes he throws it straight up in the air, Sometimes he throws it at trees, if there’s water around, lake or puddle, it’s going in the water. He’s never thrown it at people on purpose but he has hit people on accident and then he feels bad and tries to hide for a few hours. We moved to a trailer park and he’s been hitting other people’s trailers which is ticking off our neighbors. I take him straight to their doors to apologize every time I catch him doing it. So far grounding hasn’t worked and positive reinforcement, such as 1 hour without throwing and you’ll get candy or a toy or TV time hasn’t worked either. Any ideas?

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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. What should I do about my son throwing things? - Mamas Uncut

Keep doing what you’re doing. He’s 5, he’ll get it. Also, give him things he CAN throw. Nerf, ping pong balls, etc. And targets he’s allowed to throw at. Give him a baseball and a pitching net, it could be his calling!

Maybe join him up to T_Ball,lots of throwing and good socially for him to make friends and learn to play team sports.

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He sounds like my kiddos. Learning cause and affect. Give him a space where he can do these things, talking on safety and others.

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Maybe give him targets so he has a special place for this make it more out of the way I live in trailer park and I get the space factor totally just make him a small throwing space make big deal about maybe he will stick to it

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Make a safe place for him to throw things. And also get him some different kinds of balls to throw. That is normal and developmentally healthy behavior so you don’t want to stop it, just give it some direction.

Give him a target or something to aim at .

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Magnetic dart board. He sounds bored

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He clearly needs more things to throw. More GOOD things to throw and space to throw them. Take him to the park to throw balls, sticks, and rocks as much as he wants for a couple of hours

Find him a fun safe place to use his throwing skills. Join him in an age appropriate sport/activity giving him a safe place to throw, spend energy, and gain friends.

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Take him to a place an throw a ball with him etc. park etc.

Play sport.

Find something for his boredom.

One of those balls u hit on the cord.

It’s called a SWAT on the butt

Leave the residential area and wear em out in the bush/creek/field/park. Throwing anything within your home grounds is now banned.

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I was about to say baseball tball let him get that throwing out by playing a sport that involves apparently hid favorite activity of throwing things who knows maybe he likes it so much ne t thing you know he’s pitching in the MLB

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Amazon big bucket of cotton snow balls

shouldn’t be getting an award for “not throwing” you enforce that he doesn’t in general.

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Spunds like a typical boy. Why not give him a board with a target painted on it and makevacdeal that he can only throw things at that target.

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My son does this nonstop. He has autism. He’s mesmerized by watching things fall. As long as he isn’t hurting anyone (and not trying to) or causing chaos just let him be. And maybe look into getting an evaluation.

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Remember those bean bag toss games

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Sounds like he wants to utilise those throwing skills!
Behaviour like this can usually be fixed or at least HELPED by listening to these cues and acting on them. He wants to throw? Get him a little basket ball set, or a ring toss set, or something that gets him throwing safely!
Taking accountability when he does make mistakes is great.
Just need to help him exercise those skills in a healthy, safe way!

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Sounds like he’s bored. Redirect that energy into t-ball!

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Fill up the tub and let him toss bath toys in it, or kitchen sink and use cookie cutters or stuffed animals into a laundry basket. Safe ways for him to figure out cause and effect.

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He does sound bored. Have his daddy play ball or other games with him, or sign him up for sports.
If he’s exhausted, he won’t be outside throwing things.

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Get him into t ball/little league. Or take a piece of plywood and cut some holes in it and make bean bag toss game for him (i did the latter for my oldest when she was about 4)

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Get him a baseball mitt and ball and a bat He could turn out to be an awesome baseball player one day :slight_smile:

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He needs a net for him to throw things at. I’m also concerned that at 5yo he’s not being supervised properly to the point he’s throwing things at multiple homes. If you know he’s doing it then he doesn’t get to be unsupervised.

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Does he play sport ? Maybe that may help ?

Nerf toys. They are soft

My son did this as well . We would take him somewhere where he could throw stones all he wanted . It worked ! He learned where and when he could do it

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Get him into a sport where he can throw things. Example: basketball, baseball, nfl etc.

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Give him a soft ball. Or a balloon to throw. He is just testing out his surroundings, learning what happens when you do this or that. Maybe he enjoys splatting things, try some slime or putty. Children rarely do things to upset you on purpose, maybe have a chat with him about what about throwing things does he like, you will be surprised what he may say.

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Next time he throws something throw something of his in the trash. Dont award bad behavior that gets you no where

Or get outside and throw a ball with him show him how to throw and catch

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Tell him to just throw it at y’all’s trailer. Find a tree for him to throw stuff at. Put a bulls eye on it. He’s playing and having fun. What’s wrong with that? Heck if there’s a big enough puddle see if you can skip a rock on it.

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Start spanking him when he’s throws things at other ppl’s properties. He needs to learn there are consequences for his bad actions. This bribing him with a toy or candy isn’t going to work because he’s going to start using y’all knowing he’ll get a reward.

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Future QB! Get him a football and a open field.

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How about setting up a baseball or football target/hole to catch his throw. Put his energy and talent to work. Make it positive for everyone. You must feel soooo defeated that he won’t stop and he must feel the same way about having his favorite activity taken away. Just be patient and give him the opportunity to throw; he may be an awesome quarterback or big league pitcher some day. Good luck, momma!

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My 5 yr old throws everything also its normal stop paying so much attention to it if he cant stop throwing thing’s outside he cant go outside he is plenty old enough to understand but leave it at that dont constantly bring it up…it sounds like he wants ur attention cause everytime he throws u come running to his side…apologize to the neighbors after the punishment …outside to time out should only be a few seconds quickly explain why hes sitting then go about ur business…any attention go or bad is all the same to a little kid.

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It may sound extreme but show him videos of accidents involving throwing rocks and such and the damage it can do to himself and others…

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Don’t offer him anything just because he’s not doing what he shouldn’t be doing in the first place. Offer him reinforcements when he’s doing things he should be. Tball sounds great.

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Personally if it was my kiddos I would try to make a target to throw at like a big piece of cardboard painted up fun with different large holes to throw things through and see if it helped.

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I had a kid that lives in my mobile home park was doing the same thing and he finally stopped when he had to be supervised at all times by one of his parents because he was breaking out windows and then started on car’s of there neighbors, they called the police and after they came out and talked to him about it, took him to the station for a tour of the Jail and talked to him about this and only asked him if this is where he wanted to live, of course his parents were on the tour also and it stopped immediately, now is the best boy in the park. Wish more parents would do this with their children it’s called a wake up. He was 6yrs old. Now he’s the best boy on the schools baseball team he’s 15 now.

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Take him to a place he can throw things like a lake or pond and teach him that’s the only place he can do it!
Put him in tball or get a soft ball and play catch with him every day

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Put that boy in sports!

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Sounds like the makings of a major league pitcher some day. Maybe get him one of those things you pitch a ball at, and it comes back to you. My little brother had one when he was a kid.

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Redirect the energy. Take him places he can throw things💙

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Positive reinforcement is praising and bragging, not bribing him to behave. If you can afford it get him a throwing net. (They use them in baseball). He can throw a ball at it and the ball will come back to him. Or maybe a basketball goal. This way he has something that he can throw at without getting in trouble.

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Put that energy of throwing to good… Set up a space that he CAN throw. Do games, water areas ext.

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Sounds like some sort of sensory or self soothing behavior. Instead of punishment, find him a safe place to throw things. It’s not hurting anything.

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Ball, backstop & netting.

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Give him something to throw and a specific target to throw it at! Take him to a park and let him throw whatever he wants there (just make sure it’s not a busy park lol) my 4 yo loves throwing things so we play basketball, football, throw things in a trash can, see how far we can throw sticks at the park!

Make him a pitching cage !! He could be the next big league pitcher. Is he into baseball?? Really, make him a place that’s safe for him to throw.

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OP, maybe make a target from a piece of burlap that’s hung in a safe place and tell him that’s where he can throw sticks and rocks. Supervise closely until you know he understands that the only place to do it.

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Get a net with a target in the middle and let him throw a baseball, softball, soccer ball, basketball, playground ball or golf balls into the net. You can also get a small trampoline with a net around it and he can whip a playground ball around in there as much as he wants.

Get him something he is allowed to throw but not harmful to other things. Teach him what’s okay and what’s not okay to throw

Sounds like he needs to be signed up to play ball.

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Ground him. Spank him. So trying to be his friend.

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Sign him up for baseball😉

Make him a target he can throw things at. Put a plastic garbage bag on your porch and have him throw at the bag. This way its your trailer he will hit. Make safe places he can throw.

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Smack his hands and continue making him Apologize. Also try stopping whatever you’re doing and go straight home every time he throws something.

I think back to my childhood and all the times a different adult other than my mom spoke up to me. No one ever yelled at me but they’d set me straight and I think sometimes kids just need to hear it from a different adult. “Hey little buddy! If you keep throwing rocks, you might hit a window! Let’s not do that okay!” :slight_smile:

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can you set up cups and pails and let try to him throw the objects he finds in those? or soda cans that he can try to hit. It sounds like he likes the cause and effect of the stuff hitting other things, or water. (my youngest did this all the time) the hardest part is when he’d throw the big stuff (like large rocks). It may be a long shot, too because he’s so young and its expensive-- but I’ve heard getting kids that do this into drum lessons can help.

Sign him up for Little League.

Get him a flee back paddle ball on rubber string don’t cost much

My son is 2 and doing this I made him a pitchers box it definitely works my son got a arm though just like his dad

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This guy should be playing baseball or and sport than involves a ball!

Keep him in for a few days for his punishment !Sounds like he likes it outside ?Maybe he will decide he doesn’t want to stay in the house and he will be good !Hes old enough to listen and to mind you too !!!Good luck !

Baseball, fly fishing

Don’t gift him for bad behavior!!!

Put him in baseball or football

Teach him where to throw things. Tell him the difference between throwing things at nothing and throwing things at other people’s things.

My son loves throwing rocks. I taught him how to skip rocks on water.

Make him a time traveler , knock him into next week :laughing::laughing::laughing:

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Make a little area where he can throw stuff lightly in your yard. You may have to explain daily about it like only in this area. He’ll eventually get it

Lots of ideas… Do as your Bible tells you​:ok_hand::roll_eyes:

My son has sensory issues and aspergers… So his sensory…hr loves the way things sound when he throws them and when they hit/land but his aspergers makes him gifted in some areas and oblivious in others…so he doesnt get that throwing rocks stones bricks branches-not sticks…can damage things so ive noticed his 3 favorite locations…home…and 2 different dt offices. At home he has a designated safe throwing area. One st office has a huge gravel lot and he has a throwing area there too…we go there weekly and so I know where the cars typucally park. And the other Dr office is black top and a grassy lot and I let him throw into the grass but he must puck up the objects after and place in neat pile by trash can. He is 8 and ive been doibg this for 5 years and has worked well. If he seems like he having an extra throwing day where he doesn’t want his limuted throwing space…we toss a football around outside and run all over and throw it as far as we can!!