Re:kinda new here: classes for young ones
Amanda Mayan
My daughter is almost 2 ½ , and it seems that her friends who are not in
preschool are enrolled in various classes, so I have tried a couple with
her. For my daughters age and disposition we have only tried classes that I
can do with her for instance a gymnastics class at the local Y where the
toddlers were working with their parent under a teachers guidance. Mayas
friend (not unschooled, though not in school) loves the class which is why
we decided to try that particular one out Maya had fun, but was not too into
standing in line or following group activities kinda freaked the teacher
out anyway, we were able to happily and successfully negotiate that class,
but I decided that it was not a great environment for her personality. I
think at such a young age (depending on the child of course) you should
probably be in the class with your child to monitor, observe, and help them
negotiate new situations (standing in line or choosing not to, ect) it can
be a nice activity if they seem to enjoy it. If not, maybe (for a dance
class for instance) you can find a friend who has a wall of mirrors in the
house and wouldnt mind you guys dressing up in dance clothes and putting on
some music and dancing whenever the mood or desire for dance class
enters Maya LOVES to dress up in something special and dance in front of a
mirror where she can watch herself I guess Im trying to say that if you
cant find the right class environment for your kids, you can creatively
facilitate their interests otherwise. Also, usually you can try out or
observe a class before paying for a whole session upfront.
Lastly, last summer I (regretfully) tortured Maya through survival
floating/swim classes where they would not let me be in the water with her I
finally convinced them to allow me to join her in the water (the classes
were free so I didnt feel like I had a bargaining chip to negotiate my
terms better). She was not afraid of the water before, but is hesitant
now on the other hand she floats perfectly and we live in Florida where
drowning is a statically huge risk for children none the less, I think I
could have DEFINITELY either passed up the free class (8 weeks daily) or
advocated MUCH BETTER for my child in the first place the classes would have
cost us 90 a week, a lot of money for us, but in retrospect I would PAY 90 a
week to not have her crying for those 15 minute daily classes. (on a side
note she later did fall in the bay, with me at her side, and swam to the
surface and floated as I jumped in to get her .i treaded water and screamed
for help to get out for about 10 minutes while she happily splashed beside
me, not realizing the gravity of the situation) I guess the point of this
long-ish post is that there are a lot of ways to meet your childrens needs
and interests if you do it creatively, and also in a class situation you
have to be very aware of properly advocating for your child
-amanda
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
preschool are enrolled in various classes, so I have tried a couple with
her. For my daughters age and disposition we have only tried classes that I
can do with her for instance a gymnastics class at the local Y where the
toddlers were working with their parent under a teachers guidance. Mayas
friend (not unschooled, though not in school) loves the class which is why
we decided to try that particular one out Maya had fun, but was not too into
standing in line or following group activities kinda freaked the teacher
out anyway, we were able to happily and successfully negotiate that class,
but I decided that it was not a great environment for her personality. I
think at such a young age (depending on the child of course) you should
probably be in the class with your child to monitor, observe, and help them
negotiate new situations (standing in line or choosing not to, ect) it can
be a nice activity if they seem to enjoy it. If not, maybe (for a dance
class for instance) you can find a friend who has a wall of mirrors in the
house and wouldnt mind you guys dressing up in dance clothes and putting on
some music and dancing whenever the mood or desire for dance class
enters Maya LOVES to dress up in something special and dance in front of a
mirror where she can watch herself I guess Im trying to say that if you
cant find the right class environment for your kids, you can creatively
facilitate their interests otherwise. Also, usually you can try out or
observe a class before paying for a whole session upfront.
Lastly, last summer I (regretfully) tortured Maya through survival
floating/swim classes where they would not let me be in the water with her I
finally convinced them to allow me to join her in the water (the classes
were free so I didnt feel like I had a bargaining chip to negotiate my
terms better). She was not afraid of the water before, but is hesitant
now on the other hand she floats perfectly and we live in Florida where
drowning is a statically huge risk for children none the less, I think I
could have DEFINITELY either passed up the free class (8 weeks daily) or
advocated MUCH BETTER for my child in the first place the classes would have
cost us 90 a week, a lot of money for us, but in retrospect I would PAY 90 a
week to not have her crying for those 15 minute daily classes. (on a side
note she later did fall in the bay, with me at her side, and swam to the
surface and floated as I jumped in to get her .i treaded water and screamed
for help to get out for about 10 minutes while she happily splashed beside
me, not realizing the gravity of the situation) I guess the point of this
long-ish post is that there are a lot of ways to meet your childrens needs
and interests if you do it creatively, and also in a class situation you
have to be very aware of properly advocating for your child
-amanda
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
--- In [email protected], "Amanda Mayan" <amanda@...> wrote:
---Meredith (Mo 7, Ray 15)
>I think IAnother option (should anyone else be in similar shoes) might have been to observe the class without your dd participating, and deciding if you have the skills to do the same sorts of things with her, but in a much gentler, more enjoyable manner.
> could have DEFINITELY either passed up the free class (8 weeks daily) or
> advocated MUCH BETTER for my child in the first place
---Meredith (Mo 7, Ray 15)