On several occasions, I have seen students raise their voices and get angry at other students who make simple mistakes such as spilling glue, tripping, dropping items, and making spelling and reading mistakes, and fumbling a ball out at recess time. 

     If your child has a tendency to easily get angry at others who do not do things on purpose, you might want to consider sitting down with your child and discussing the difference between ‘on purpose’ and ‘by accident’.  You can start off by discussing with your child what constitutes ‘on purpose’ (e.g. hitting, throwing objects, and being silly) and what constitutes ‘by accident’ (e.g. dropping items, reading errors).  Make sure your child understands the difference between the two.  Have your child give you some examples of thinks that he or she has done both by accident and on purpose.

     After, discuss with your child the various ways that he or she should react when someone does something by accident.  Emphasize that other children’s feelings can be hurt and they can get   embarrassed.  Let your child know that other kids will be offended by your child if he or she laughs or yells at the other child.

     Have your child verbalize a hypothetical situation whereby he or she does something by accident and get laughed at or yelled at.  Ask your child how he or she would feel. 

     Finally, suggest to your child that he or she helps the other child overcome the embarrassment by helping out (e.g. picking up an item, telling the other child it’s okay, etc...).  Let your child know that this is what good friends do for one another.  Your child should also know that even if he or she isn’t good friends with the child who had the accident, it is still the proper thing to do and the other child will like your child that much more.