Cirle Time Problem

She's not having fun, you aren't having fun, so I'd call it a wash and take her to the park or something else for 1 on 1 time. She's 29 months old - no big deal if she doesn't go. Also, if she's sitting for one class and not the other, maybe it's her way of telling you she doesn't like the second class for some reason. I'd call it a wash and move on.

My hindsight advice is to cut your losses and try again in a year. Look for parks and other free form activities for the two of you to do for now.

Oh, your post brought back memories...

I remember attending a library storytime with my then-two-year-old son, who was just as busy as your daughter. Of course, most of the other kids were watching the librarian-- he was just excited about being in a big room without any furniture and wanted to run around and make friends with everyone. When we left I saw the sign on the door of the library: "Toddler Storytime: Learn How to Sit and Listen". I decided that if they wanted Sit and Listen that we weren't quite there yet.

Just so you know, my now- 4.5 year old does great at Circle/Gathering at his preschool, but it did take a while. Kids all develop in different areas at different rates. So if you aren't enjoying it, take her somewhere else for a fun outing instead, where her gregarious nature and desire to move will be accepted and appreciated. No reason to go if it isn't working for both of you...

And it's typical that kids 'do better' for non-parents/teachers than they do with their own parents. I've worked in childcare for a long time before I became a mom, so I've seen both sides. Any mom there will likely understand that this is pretty universally true... kids are often more comfortable pressing boundaries and being their genuine selves with parents, not teachers.

Good luck! It will get better!:)

I have observed time and again that the kids I have enrolled in my preschool class can be great, and then mom comes to class and all H-E- double hockey sticks breaks out. I do not know what causes this phenomenon only that it happens quite frequently. Also I always start my circle time with an Active activity to get all the wiggles out before we sit down.
My suggestion is while in class gently guide her and if she will not listen don't feel bad if you have to go give her a time out, she will learn that you mean business.
I am also with the other moms who say cut your losses and try again next year...so sorry!

I would take a break. Clearly she's not ready, and that's okay. You are still a good parent if your child isn't in a million classes & speaking 4 foreign languages at age 3 ;-p. No one is getting anything out of it if she's that crazy, and it's very distracting & unfair to other kids that are willing to sit & pay attention. We did a "Soccertots" class when DD was around the same age & that was a royal waste of money. DD was THAT kid that wouldn't sit still or pay attention. She's now 5 & in full day Kinder, so that worked itself out.

I also agree that kids are very different when with their parents, than without them. I think preschool is a great place for kids to learn basics like circle time, waiting your turn, sharing, etc.

You need to role play with her at home and teach her a little bit of self control. Kids are smart, she's two, she CAN understand when you tell her things.
Explain to her how she needs to act in that setting. If you let her run willynilly she isnt learning anything and being a distraction for the others. Be a little more firm, you are her main trainer in life.

I haven't had a good experience with the circle time with either of my kids. With my daughter she clung to me and wouldn't separate. My son was just like your daughter. I remember his first preschool experience where the parents had to sit with their kids and having to chase him out of the room 10 times and having him touch all the other kids and no one else was doing this. So frustrating. We found a Litttle Gym class finally. They are very laid back if the kids get up and the circle time is very limited. Happily, he is now in kindergarten and finally can sit still for circle time with or without me in the room.

do you have to participate in circle time?

Sometimes you just have to cut your losses. She views these classes as a time to run around. I would find classes that encourage more activity and less downtime, or wait until she is older and a little calmer. At 2 1/2, my daughter was very hyperactive and didnt' enjoy sitting still or circle time when we did Gymboree or other such activities.

She's SO normal for her age! And this is really hard to change, it's her personality! One of mine was Too quiet and shy at that age! And one was like your daughter. I assume that only a part of the class is circle time and she is enjoying the rest of the class therefore I wouldn't quit. If you want to keep trying, start with serious consequences for her actions. IF she will not sit right next to you where you can remind her to sit, remind her to not call out when other children's turns, then she gets marched out to the hallway for two minutes. Sounds like she likes it and will not like having to leave for two minutes. of course you will have to do this Over and over again. It isnt fair to the quiet children who need to learn to participate if she monopolizes the circle time. Good luck!

My daughter was super busy too. None of the instructors at the classes I took her to minded. I learned to just ignore her bouncing around while everyone else sat. Even as a baby she would spend the whole time crawling around and exploring. This is a good thing, if you ask me.

Circle time is only appropriate for about 5 minutes for 2 year olds, so it's kind of funny that we expect them to sit for whole classes at an age were it isn't developmentally appropriate.

You will enjoy the time more if you embrace your daughter's outgoing bounciness. Just role play acceptable behavior (for instance, the answering for other kids) --my daughter does that too.

I'd recommended a drama class when your daughter hits 3. It's my daughter's favorite class (very little circle time, but lots of fun dress up and movement!)

Also, how about a creative movement class for you and your daughter? I believe I did that with mine around 2.5 years. And tumbling. Maybe what you need to do is find classes where she can explore, with very little sitting.

My kids all took discipline to do things that young (I actually didn't start anything before 2 1/2). They were given immediate firm consequences for running, tantrumming, ignoring the teacher etc, that's how they learned not to do it. We enforced rules like that at home from 18 months, so they were pretty well prepared to cooperate in public, but once or twice I had to swoop one off to the restroom for consequence and then return to the class for second chance to act right. No anger, just teaching and consequences so they learned early rather than later.

From your description it sounds like you sort of just watch her do this and wonder why she is. The other kids could be easier temperaments, or they may have had discipline at first.

If you don't want to "force" her to behave, you should probably just yank her until she's older. If you allow it, she'll only learn it's OK to act that way, so it may make more sense to cut your losses and start again later even if you don't get a refund.

It often "seems like" other kids are magically behaving, I've had lots of moms come up to me in classes and say they wish their kids cooperated...but I had to majorly enforce it. Two is pretty young, it won't hurt her to wait a bit for the social classes.

This book is great to prep her for good preschool behavior, Back to Basics Discipline by Janet Campbell Matson. My older two, 3 and 5 were stellar for group stuff from 3 and up with early practice. My 2 1/2 year old is catching on ...with work!

Is it mandatory that she has to sit all the time? Why is she expected to sit in a gym or music class anyway? Honestly, I think that is asking a lot of some kids at this age. I remember taking a music class with my son around this age. A lot of the shy/quiet kids were sitting, but my son was up moving around all over the place. He has always been outgoing and curious. I was stressed thinking I am going to have to ask for my money back because there is no way I can keep him sitting for a full 45 minutes! The teacher noticed my stress because she said he was fine to move around. Some kids learn best when they can move around. Even though it may look like they aren't paying attention, they really are taking it all in in their own way. After awhile, he did learn to come to the group, sit down and participate too. It is a developmental skill and one that you and her teachers will have to constantly model for her while giving her the flexibility to move a bit. Check out books or google information about the multiple intelligences. It is believed that there are 8 kinds of intelligence in which people learn best. For some it is an inherent musical ability, verbal, mathematical, etc. There is one intelligence that called bodily/kinesthetic. This means that kids/people learn best using their whole body to take in information or solve problems. It could be that this intelligence is your child's most prominent ability. So just be aware that this may be the way she learns and isn't trying to misbehave or be out of control. I think as long as she isn't harming herself or anyone else by her movement, you should let her explore in this manner as much as she needs to. Good luck!
A.