A.Q.
I agree with the punishment and explanation stategy. I too had a problem with my 5 year-old daughter lying to me. One additional thing that I did was to ask my daughter why she felt the need to lie. At first I got the typical, "I don't know." as an answer. But eventually she was able to tell me exactly why she told the lie in the first place. It really helped me to understand her and also get my message across without spoiling the trust between us. It also gave her a chance to really think about why she lied and what she really thought she would be achieving. I need her to know she can tell me anything. It might not be so important now, but it will be someday soon. So far it seems to be working. She has been very good at telling me the truth about things that she would have tried to sneak past me before.