Intentional misrepresentation of reality.

Lying is an intentional misrepresentation of reality, as distinguished from the innocent fantasy common to preschoolers whose notion of truth and falsehood has yet to develop clearly.

Very young children do not understand the difference between truth and falsehood. Preschoolers often engage in wishful thinking, fantasy, and the embellishment of reality with no intention of deliberate deceit. Children as young as five years old may recognize different types of lies and their relative severity, but it is not until about age seven that most children learn the basic meaning of honesty. At that point, lying becomes intentional.

Children lie for a variety of reasons. Rather than focus on the lie as the primary problem, adult caregivers should instead try to determine the reason(s) for the lie. It is important for adults to remember that in nearly every case children lie to save face...