If your youngster seems upset, but won't reveal exactly why, don't go into interrogation mode. This game should give you a picture of the school's social landscape and help draw out the situation that upset him. That said, try not to veer into this territory every day. By the end of second grade, and certainly by third, the social scene shifts. Boys and girls bunch into separate societies, and peer groups form, though not always happily.
Kids also start to reserve lunch seats for friends.
It may be this way now, but it may not next week. Teach your child that the best way to parry a bullying remark is with humor or by ignoring it completely. If your kid is removed from recess, meet with the teacher or principal. Make clear that while you understand that your child may have displayed inappropriate behaviors, you'd like to work together to find a solution other than taking away his one school-based opportunity to relax and burn off energy during the day.