What is the right way to handle a child who lies?

First understand what it is: lying appears around three to four as a normal cognitive milestone, since it requires understanding that others hold different knowledge. Most early lying is wishful thinking or avoiding trouble rather than deceit. What helps: avoid setting traps by asking questions you already know the answer to, since that invites the lie; make telling the truth safe by responding to the honesty before the offence; and address the underlying behaviour separately. Harsh punishment reliably produces better liars rather than more honest children, which is well supported in research.