4 year old gets hyper when friends come over

amother

Beige

Sat, Jan 12 2019, 8:20 pm

My 4 and a half year old boy is very mature (and adorable and smart and funny and lovable). I hear good reports from his playgroup Morah (and every Morah in other years), as well as neighbors who have had him in their house, playing with their children.
However, lately he's been acting wild/hyper when friends come over (specifically on shabbos- not as much during the week). These friends are not wild or hyper- it's just my son who suddenly begins yelling, running around the house, ignoring my instructions to stay in the playroom, fighting with his baby brother, fighting with his friends/bossing them around and not sharing, physically roughing it up with his friends, even calling me names when I try to tell him to stop.
Usually, I try to discipline him using an incentive program but that doesn't work when a friend/friends are over on shabbos.
I can't just send him out to play at neighbors; it's not fair for me not to do my share by opening my house for play as well, but I'm starting to get really annoyed.
Any ideas?
It's freezing cold here, so I can't send them out to play. They have no interest in board games or books.

oneofakind

Sat, Jan 12 2019, 10:19 pm

I would sit down during the week and make a plan with him. Try to schedule it and structure it as much as possible and keep it short and sweet until you see he can handle more. When he starts acting up, send them home and don't let him go there. He needs to learn how to be a host and that other kids don't enjoy such behavior and will not want to play with him if he acts that way.