Birth to Age 5 Preschoolers and Lying Lying at this age is very common.
Preschoolers lie for a variety of reasons.
Sometimes it's because they're afraid of punishment, or it may be because they've gotten carried away with their fantasies, or perhaps they're imitating behavior they see among adults. Before you punish your child for not telling the truth, make sure you understand his motives. When he's lying to avoid punishment, he may have broken one of the household rules. For instance, he may have damaged something he shouldn't have been handling. Or maybe he was too rough and he hurt one of his playmates.