Depends on the situation. Some children have picked up some bad behavior patterns that were left unchecked by parents, where others could have something more serious going on that needs investigated further. You might start with your pediatrician?

My 4.75 yo girl had an epic tantrum tonight. Lots of things probably factored into it... She's still getting used to a full-day school, hangry and upset she couldn't play on a certain structure (occupied by bigger very rough boys) at the playground. She was fed and put to bed before 7 PM.

Ever hear of the Fing 4s or Fing 5s? That’s what I used to say when my DD was those ages!!! Lol she’s almost 7 now - so much better. But yeah it’s normal for ages 4-5.

Sounds like a meltdown, not a tantrum. If he's saying he cannot stop crying, it's because he's genuinely feeling overwhelmed and out of control. It could be a developmental change, difficulty transitioning, different expectations, anxiety, need for more sleep, etc. Personally, I wouldn't jump into having him evaluated, especially if he's doing fine otherwise. IMO, it's well within the range of normal for a 4.5 year old. Mine had some epic meltdowns in Kindergarten. And after Winter break, they pretty much just stopped.

I vote normal, and while I do think my oldest has some anxieties we are better at managing them now. As others have mentioned, being overtired, hungry and long periods without routine definitely play into it. Now at just over 5, prolonged tantrums are uncommon, but she still has her moments where she throws herself on the ground and flails for a couple minutes or has some tough drop offs at Sunday school (regular school is fine) as separation anxiety has always been a trigger as well. Lots of exercise and activity are also huge for her.

How is he at preschool? Is he holding it together there? I think it's very common for these strong willed kids to hold it together at school and then save their meltdowns for home.

Ugh, this was peak tantrum age for my oldest. His worst-ever tantrum was on the first day of kindergarten. FWIW, it's been steadily improving ever since that day and now he's actually a very pleasant 11-year-old.

Occupational therapy for sensory integration helped our child with this.

Completely normal in our experience. He's 6.5 and we still deal with them occasionally.