How do you get your three-year-old to sit down for story time?

[mom2lucas]

I'm not having a problem with this at home, but it has been brought to my attention that DS will not sit down for story time at church without getting upset at the teacher. We've had story time at home since he was born, and he's been sitting down for stories for a long time here with us. We do the Pre-K workbooks from Hooked on Phonics, and we do crafts and baking projects all the time without issue (usually) with him sitting down and participating.

The teacher said he tells her that he wants to play blocks or that he's tired. She doesn't want to make him upset, so she lets him do whatever he wants. How do I correct this? How do I work with his teacher and make sure he's being included and listening?

He's going to a preschool program in the fall, and I really want to have some handle on this issue before then.

[434Teresa]

I dont know how to help you.I was wantting to find a away to do this at home for my twins will not let me read to them..and they are 3

[krmore]

maybe he's getting bored. I'm not much help mine wouldn't sit either but as long as they were quiet and not disruptive they were allowed to stay and color or play and listen. If they started being loud they had to leave.

[loaslaen]

Originally Posted by mom2lucas How do I work with his teacher and make sure he's being included and listening? He's going to a preschool program in the fall, and I really want to have some handle on this issue before then.

You don't have to worry that he's not listening. Kids multitask quite well and retain alot of information. Listening to stories is also different than "participating". He may be bored. Or it's possible that if you reserve storytime to before naps and before bed, that stories have become associated with getting ready to sleep and produce a sleepy effect on him and he's wants to play to avoid sleepiness.

[CW&M Mom]

Story minute should be aprx the amount of minutes per age. So theortically a 3 year old should be able to sit down for 3 minutes of story time.

I wonder if they are trying to make him sit for a long time and he's not liking it...OR that the transition from playing to storytime isn't something that is working well for him.

I'd ask that they try and do something fun to get the kids gathered there for story time...like bubbles or a song ect...

and

I'd tell your son that when they get called for storytime he needs to go sit down or they may need to put him in a time out.

She needs to just get him upset and get it over with...he knows currently...that he's in charge not her.

[sbp]

Is there a large group of children at church? I wonder if he's just overwhelmed by having to share story time with so many children - maybe he can't see the book very well when she holds it up - and he's just avoiding the whole thing by doing something else.

It's quite a switch to go from storytime with mommmy and baby sister to storytime with a whole group of children. Maybe she can have him sit somewhere near her for awhile he gets more used to the group setting.

[taylordvd]

Originally Posted by cori n wes mom Story minute should be aprx the amount of minutes per age. So theortically a 3 year old should be able to sit down for 3 minutes of story time. I wonder if they are trying to make him sit for a long time and he's not liking it...OR that the transition from playing to storytime isn't something that is working well for him.

I think this could be it. I would not worry about preschool in the fall. A great preschool will work with a kid on what they need help with. I'm guessing your kid will do great in preschool and there will be no issue.

Is there any way you could observe his class at church? Since church is volunteer and not paid, I think it is very likely that the person leading the class doesn't have a background in early childhood development and just may be doing things that are age inappropriate.

[mom2lucas]

I think it could be a boredom thing, or that the transition isn't working for him. I normally would not worry too much about it, but he was left out of the Independence Day program for "not participating during story time and getting upset at simple directions". I pretty much thought that was a crap answer, and DH went to talk to the teacher. I was too busy drying up DS's tears.

Our classroom is in the next room, with an adjoining door to DS's room. I don't hear him upset, but I do hear all the kids playing often. They're ages 3 to 6. The teacher suggested he may do better in the nursery when it opens later this year. We're doing some renovations right now and do not currently have a nursery, so DS was put in with some older kids for Sunday School. I don't really have a problem with that because DS has seemed fine. We didn't really know there was an issue until DH confronted the teacher. We're not upset with the teacher, but I need to know how to help DS so he doesn't get left out again.

Thanks for your answers, they confirmed what I already thought. :)

[Dhunny318]

please don't let this upset you. this is something that my son's preschool teacher told us about him at the end of the year (he's 4) and tried to make it seem like a problem. Like you, he sits and listens when we read here at home and has no issues. Like PP said, the stories need to be read around the time of the kids' ages. You may even get away with reading to pre-school kids for around 7 minutes or so, but that might be pushing it. If this is his first time in a school-like setting, he could be so excited about being with other kids, that he just wants to do all the fun things that he can't do at home where there aren't many kids to play with(that's the issue with our boy).

This isn't something you have to take care of before preschool....this is something that the preschool takes care of for you. Heck, this is something that kindergarten teachers can take care of for you. Your kiddo is just being that....a kiddo ;o)

[seedlady]

i teach the 2 year old class- and have 33 years experience with that room and am a former preschool teacher and nanny.

the way i get around the problem is to call the kids over to me, and do the story, and then rotate around the room and retell it with each child who was doing something else. that way, the story is gone over several times, which doesn't hurt.


i also just speak more and more quietly, so the kids have to quiet down to listen.

his behavior is totally normal. i suggest that you just tell him that different teachers, like different bosses, have different rules. and this teacher likes for him to sit quietly for a few minutes while she tells a story, and it would sure make you happy if he could do that. then just praise any effort, and let it go. he's fine.