“Your child is a kinesthetic learner.”

[Anonymous]

I'm not close to your area so have no school recs, but another possibility is that your child has weak core strength that makes it hard to sit still.

OT helped my DC immensely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not close to your area so have no school recs, but another possibility is that your child has weak core strength that makes it hard to sit still.

OT helped my DC immensely.

Thanks for the suggestion, but he is ripped for his age. His core is incredibly strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not close to your area so have no school recs, but another possibility is that your child has weak core strength that makes it hard to sit still.

OT helped my DC immensely.

Thanks for the suggestion, but he is ripped for his age. His core is incredibly strong.

Hm. A "ripped" 4-year old is probably on the very high end of normal tone (but not hypertonic with rigidity and spasticity). That means the signals from brain to muscle are fast and constant, always flexed. That would make sitting still more difficult.

[Anonymous]

Check out Potomac Crescent Waldorf School. I have a very wiggly first grader and we moved them to PCWS this year and it’s been incredible! They are outside most of the day and incorporate a lot of movement. The school just announced to current families last night that they are relocating to Old Town in the fall (current lease expires this summer) and they will have larger classrooms so may have spaces open for preschool/early childhood programs. The school is a real gem—warm and loving teachers, nurturing environment, great parent community, etc.

https://www.potomacwaldorf.org/

[Anonymous]

You should read Howard Gardener’s work on multiple intelligences... you are jumping to negative conclusions about the people that may know your child better than you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All 4 year olds are kinesthetic learners. It's why play based schools are more appropriate than "academic" preschools that use worksheets.

plus 1

---Montessori teacher and mom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check out Potomac Crescent Waldorf School. I have a very wiggly first grader and we moved them to PCWS this year and it’s been incredible! They are outside most of the day and incorporate a lot of movement. The school just announced to current families last night that they are relocating to Old Town in the fall (current lease expires this summer) and they will have larger classrooms so may have spaces open for preschool/early childhood programs. The school is a real gem—warm and loving teachers, nurturing environment, great parent community, etc.

https://www.potomacwaldorf.org/

That looks great. Are there options for aftercare past 3pm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours was like this in daycare as well. She was a never napper on top of it. We realized she’d aged out of that setting even though it was intended as a play based school. Can you afford burgundy farm (we can’t!), that or another outdoor program could be a good fit. Best of luck.

Where did you end up? We are not in pre-k yet.

We toughened it out a bit longer. Then COVID hit. So she came home. She’s now in hybrid K. Whole other set of issues with her energy levels, but we manage it well in virtual days. Or at least we’re surviving.

I’m sorry to not have a referral for you. I hope you find a good fit. He’s lucky to have a parent that is looking at his sense of self and not just forcing the situation to work. Maybe try Montessori?

NO. Do not do Montessori for a kid who is fidgety and needs to move. I made that mistake with my DC and it was a disaster. DC is now in a play based outdoor preschool and is thriving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with being a kinesthetic learner. It’s a learning style.

You seem to be making assumptions and not having conversations with the daycare and reading into it.

No, I have had multiple conversations. They expect a lot of his behavior that I don’t think is developmentally appropriate for who my kid is, so I think we might need a different style of school, or maybe just a reset on the teachers he’s dealing with.

He comes home feeling like he can’t do anything right because the setting isn’t tailored to his need to move. He’s 4. I want him to feel good about his abilities.

Yes, that is a huge problem. 4 year olds should be allowed to move.

I don’t want this to sound more dramatic than it is. He is really disruptive during circle time. It’s not really his fault, and it’s not the fault of the school, because most of the other kids can handle it. I can’t come observe the problem times because of Covid, so I don’t know how disruptive he’s really being. However, if it’s not working for DS then this might not be the right school for him.

I’m a preschool teacher.
I would ask the school some questions:

—how long is circle time?
—does it involve movement/standing up/dancing/finger plays or is it mostly sitting?
—what exactly is he doing that is disruptive?
—are there any accommodations available for him? Ie holding a fidget or stuffed animal? Sit in a rocking chair on the outer edge of the circle? Does he have to sit criss cross applesauce or can he choose how to sit?

At home—is he required to sit for a meal or do you let him graze and run around? Does he sit and listen when you read him books? Can you work on his focus stamina? Longer books, longer times sitting quietly? Nothing crazy, but time it if you can and see how you can work on it (without using screens).

[Anonymous]

Almost all four year old boys are kinesthetic learners. You don’t want a dud that just sits there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with being a kinesthetic learner. It’s a learning style.

You seem to be making assumptions and not having conversations with the daycare and reading into it.

No, I have had multiple conversations. They expect a lot of his behavior that I don’t think is developmentally appropriate for who my kid is, so I think we might need a different style of school, or maybe just a reset on the teachers he’s dealing with.

He comes home feeling like he can’t do anything right because the setting isn’t tailored to his need to move. He’s 4. I want him to feel good about his abilities.

Yes, that is a huge problem. 4 year olds should be allowed to move.

I don’t want this to sound more dramatic than it is. He is really disruptive during circle time. It’s not really his fault, and it’s not the fault of the school, because most of the other kids can handle it. I can’t come observe the problem times because of Covid, so I don’t know how disruptive he’s really being. However, if it’s not working for DS then this might not be the right school for him.

I’m a preschool teacher.
I would ask the school some questions:

—how long is circle time?
—does it involve movement/standing up/dancing/finger plays or is it mostly sitting?
—what exactly is he doing that is disruptive?
—are there any accommodations available for him? Ie holding a fidget or stuffed animal? Sit in a rocking chair on the outer edge of the circle? Does he have to sit criss cross applesauce or can he choose how to sit?

At home—is he required to sit for a meal or do you let him graze and run around? Does he sit and listen when you read him books? Can you work on his focus stamina? Longer books, longer times sitting quietly? Nothing crazy, but time it if you can and see how you can work on it (without using screens).

These are really helpful questions. Things have improved since I first wrote this. He was having a string of really bad days at the time and I was sad for him and also a little frustrated.

- Circle time is 20 minutes in the morning and 39 minutes in the afternoon (with show and tell)
- there are songs and they talk about the themes for the day in the morning
- he’s interrupting his friends and getting upset when he’s corrected (we find that he is sensitive about constructive criticism at home, too)
- we purchased a weighted blanket and infinity cube that actually seem to be helping a lot. His behavior during circle time has improved, but behavior issues have popped up at other times during the day.

At home, we all sit at the table together for dinner and he will sit to listen to people read for a really long time (30 minutes plus).

Other than reading, how do you build focus stamina?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with being a kinesthetic learner. It’s a learning style.

You seem to be making assumptions and not having conversations with the daycare and reading into it.

No, I have had multiple conversations. They expect a lot of his behavior that I don’t think is developmentally appropriate for who my kid is, so I think we might need a different style of school, or maybe just a reset on the teachers he’s dealing with.

He comes home feeling like he can’t do anything right because the setting isn’t tailored to his need to move. He’s 4. I want him to feel good about his abilities.

Yes, that is a huge problem. 4 year olds should be allowed to move.

I don’t want this to sound more dramatic than it is. He is really disruptive during circle time. It’s not really his fault, and it’s not the fault of the school, because most of the other kids can handle it. I can’t come observe the problem times because of Covid, so I don’t know how disruptive he’s really being. However, if it’s not working for DS then this might not be the right school for him.

I’m a preschool teacher.
I would ask the school some questions:

—how long is circle time?
—does it involve movement/standing up/dancing/finger plays or is it mostly sitting?
—what exactly is he doing that is disruptive?
—are there any accommodations available for him? Ie holding a fidget or stuffed animal? Sit in a rocking chair on the outer edge of the circle? Does he have to sit criss cross applesauce or can he choose how to sit?

At home—is he required to sit for a meal or do you let him graze and run around? Does he sit and listen when you read him books? Can you work on his focus stamina? Longer books, longer times sitting quietly? Nothing crazy, but time it if you can and see how you can work on it (without using screens).

These are really helpful questions. Things have improved since I first wrote this. He was having a string of really bad days at the time and I was sad for him and also a little frustrated.

- Circle time is 20 minutes in the morning and 39 minutes in the afternoon (with show and tell)
- there are songs and they talk about the themes for the day in the morning
- he’s interrupting his friends and getting upset when he’s corrected (we find that he is sensitive about constructive criticism at home, too)
- we purchased a weighted blanket and infinity cube that actually seem to be helping a lot. His behavior during circle time has improved, but behavior issues have popped up at other times during the day.

At home, we all sit at the table together for dinner and he will sit to listen to people read for a really long time (30 minutes plus).

Other than reading, how do you build focus stamina?

That should read 30 minutes for afternoon circle time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out Potomac Crescent Waldorf School. I have a very wiggly first grader and we moved them to PCWS this year and it’s been incredible! They are outside most of the day and incorporate a lot of movement. The school just announced to current families last night that they are relocating to Old Town in the fall (current lease expires this summer) and they will have larger classrooms so may have spaces open for preschool/early childhood programs. The school is a real gem—warm and loving teachers, nurturing environment, great parent community, etc.

https://www.potomacwaldorf.org/

That looks great. Are there options for aftercare past 3pm?

They scaled back programs this year due to COVID, but will be bringing back before and aftercare next year.