What activities does your toddler do?

[bcarp30]

I'm wondering if DD is acting out because she is bored, and I need to find more structured activities for her.  She has preschool 2 days a week and dance once a week.  I'm debating adding in a language class or music/art class for her.  Currently on the days she isn't in school we plan play dates after going to the gym so I know she's getting lots of play time but it isn't necessarily structured.  

[h]

My 2.5 yo doesn't really do any activities. He goes to preschool 2 days a week, stays with a babysitter two days a week (and they go to the zoo, science museum, park, library, etc.), and hangs out with me one day a week. He runs around chasing after his brothers in the evenings.

[6fsn]

My 2.5 yo has zero activities. I MIGHT sign him up for a little art class in January.

[Deleted]

Daycare/preschool all week and gymnastics for 45 minutes on Saturdays.

[madringal]

My 3.5 year old has pre school 2 days a week for 3 hours and swimming twice a week for 30 minutes. And Sunday school, but I don't know if that counts!

[aspentosh]

My 3.5yo has preschool 3x a week and that's it. I usually don't do lots of classes during warmer months since we can do playdates and visit local parks.

Once it cools down I'll sign her up for swim lessons again (1x a week) and maybe another 1x per week class when that's over.

I think she does better with structure but I don't want to over schedule her.

[lilac05]

She's acting out because she's 2. That's just what they do. It sounds like you have lots of activities. It could also be too much for her, if she's a kid who enjoys being home and not around a bunch of people.

[lindsaymg]

When DS was 2.5 we had him in a a The Little Gym class, that was all.

[Deleted]

LOL, activities before 3 make me want to cry.

[Deleted]

At 2.5 she had 2 days of DC, an ECFE class (like school with a parent. An hour once a week. 9 sessions in the fall, 9 in the spring. More a social hour for me) and a 4 week session of swimming lessons.

It took DD a long time to be okay with more structured stuff. Even at 4, she's okay with it/enjoys it but she'd rather be outside.

And yeah, 2.5 year olds are just plain busy, all day long.

[bcarp30]

Sept 28, 2015 19:06:14 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

She's acting out because she's 2. That's just what they do. It sounds like you have lots of activities. It could also be too much for her, if she's a kid who enjoys being home and not around a bunch of people.

I thought about that but she gets bored when we are home. She loves being around friends and school and dance are her favorite things. I think it's that I am not entertaining enough for her!

[dcn]

Ds has preschool two mornings a week and gymnastics once a week. The other days we go to the playground, the library, etc.

I wouldn't mind finding one more activity on one of our free days but so far nothing matches up with our schedule.

[madringal]

Sept 28, 2015 19:48:51 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

LOL, activities before 3 make me want to cry.

I agree. We never do activities before 3 outside of Sunday School and the occasional play date.

[redheadbaker]

The only "activities" DS did at 2.5 were swim lessons, to get him comfortable being in the water, and the yoga they do once a week at daycare.

[cricketwife]

Sept 28, 2015 20:47:15 GMT -5 bcarp30 said:

Sept 28, 2015 19:06:14 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

She's acting out because she's 2. That's just what they do. It sounds like you have lots of activities. It could also be too much for her, if she's a kid who enjoys being home and not around a bunch of people.

I thought about that but she gets bored when we are home. She loves being around friends and school and dance are her favorite things. I think it's that I am not entertaining enough for her!

With DS, he needs lots of outside time. Like, it rained all weekend and we went out yesterday afternoon and walked and played on the playground in the rain because he just needs to be outside. Great thing is we had the whole park to ourselves, lol!  You know your daughter best, but maybe getting more fresh air?

[hermione]

2.5 years old - Nursery School 2 days a week, gymnastics 30 minutes on Saturdays. We do swim lessons a lot but not right now (due to H's schedule). I feel like it's plenty given we also try to do what I consider one big outing a week like the zoo, science center, cider mill, etc.

My mom also has her 1-2 days a week and that's nothing structured at all. She spends that time watching too many shows, getting too many treats, going on leaf hunts, trying to find the bunnies outside, etc.

Generally I feel like this all works out to a pretty good balance.

[bcarp30]

cricketwife I hate using this expression but she does have the energy of a boy. She needs exercise and fresh air for sure! I've also noticed when I give her a puzzle or something like that where she has to focus she gets tired. I want her to be bored so she can figure out how to entertain herself and be creative. It's hard being the only playmate, too.

[rugbywife]

My almost 18 month old does an 'art class' (it's really just drop-in play with an organized art activity), swimming and gymnastics.

I only do these things because I am currently SAH and want to shoot myself trying to fill time. If she were in daycare she would do swimming. Maybe the gymnastics if she really loved it.

[cincodemayo]

I enjoy toddler activities. Except swim class because that means I need to wear a swimsuit.

DS is in an ECFE class on Saturdays and a tumbling preview class on Thursday. ECFE I enjoy because I like singing and doing crafts that don't mess up my house, and tumbling has been good for my scaredy cat kid.

[dizzycooks]

Daycare 5x week, Sunday school, and swim lessons when I'm working. When I'm home they do a smaller daycare 1x week, Sunday school, swimming and we do a trip to the zoo or a museum weekly, story time at the library weekly and visit any number of parks. Otherwise they are left to their own devices or we do art/science activities at home.
Eta: dh takes them to an evening ecfe class once a week so I get a break.

[dcn]

Sept 28, 2015 21:19:10 GMT -5 bcarp30 said:

cricketwife I hate using this expression but she does have the energy of a boy. She needs exercise and fresh air for sure! I've also noticed when I give her a puzzle or something like that where she has to focus she gets tired. I want her to be bored so she can figure out how to entertain herself and be creative. It's hard being the only playmate, too.

Ds and I go for walks a lot too. The other day we were out for over two hours! I think he picked up every stick and pointed out every bug along the way, but it had to have been over three miles and he walked the whole way and had so much fun. We stay busy but have a ton of unstructured time.

[bcarp30]

What is ECFE?

rugbywife you bring up a good point too. I SAH and currently don't have any clients or anything to distract me so I think that she is just bored with me and staying home.

[spk926]

Sept 28, 2015 21:27:51 GMT -5 bcarp30 said:

What is ECFE?

rugbywife you bring up a good point too. I SAH and currently don't have any clients or anything to distract me so I think that she is just bored with me and staying home.

Early Childhood Family Education

Minnesota is the only state that has it and funds it. Other states have ECE and ECSE, but not ECFE where there is a parent component and/or education.

[redheadk]

At 2.5, DD was in preschool twice a week, a parent-child movement class once a week, and a parent-child music class once a week. It was mostly just to give us something to do since I'm a SAHM and she's an only child.

ETA: And swim, but that only overlapped music by a few weeks before music ended for the semester.

[spk926]

DD has been doing a Saturday morning ECFE class since last January (the month she turned 2). Then I told glitzy07 and cincodemayo about it and now it's a little GBCN MMM's GTG every week.

She started Gymnastics in March and has been doing that monthly since. Over the summer we also did Music Together and a 2 year old art class.

[bcarp30]

Sept 28, 2015 21:31:24 GMT -5 spk926 said:

Sept 28, 2015 21:27:51 GMT -5 bcarp30 said:

What is ECFE?

rugbywife you bring up a good point too. I SAH and currently don't have any clients or anything to distract me so I think that she is just bored with me and staying home.

Early Childhood Family Education

Minnesota is the only state that has it and funds it. Other states have ECE and ECSE, but not ECFE where there is a parent component and/or education.

Wow, that's really cool!

[dulcemariamar]

Before LO started DC we would go out 2-3 times a week to do some sort of activity. But my LO also loved staying at home or running errands. Most afternoon, were spent in the park. I prefer more unstructured activities this age.

[Deleted]

3 yo - preschool 3 days a week, swimming 1x a weeek, music class 1x a week

18 mos- swimming 1x a week, music class 1x a week, library story time/playgroup 1x a week.

I think they are involved in enough structured activities. We also go to a toddler open gym 1x a week in the afternoons.


Eta: we also usually do one family activity on the weekends like the zoo, children's museum, apple picking etc. They spend a lot of their week day time at the playground.

[gibbinator]

My kids are in daycare full time. That's quite a fair bit of activity. When I have them home with me though (like through the summer) we don't do structured activities but I do try to get them out of the house once a day - playground, zoo, grocery shopping, running amok in the soccer field. Just to burn off some energy.

[abs]

My DD was that kid that was happier with lots of activities, too. We did Little Gym twice a week until she was 2.5 and then added swim lessons as well. I also added a day of preschool (3 days a week instead of 2). At 3.5 we switched from swimming to a dance class. Now at 4.5 she is in school 4 days a week and does gymnastics and dance. She also wants to add soccer. We aren't going to but she could handle it. She was a terror this summer and it was because she was bored. Now that she is super busy again she is so much happier. Even DH has noticed!

DD is an only child much to her chagrin. She does best with lots of people around and gets bored at home easily. She likes the park and playing with friends but she needs the activities, too. My introverted self does not understand.