How are your 3 year olds doing at home?

[Anonymous]

Due to the pandemic our 3 year old is home and not at preschool. She does a few online classes, preschool activities at home and has an older sibling. Play dates once or twice a week. Seems pretty happy. I’m wondering if by next year she should definitely go to school, even if vaccine isn’t out. How is your 3 year old doing, and what is your plan?

[Anonymous]

We don’t do play dates or online activities but kid seems fine. Plays with his older sibling. Hoping to get him back in a group setting before Kindergarten!

[Anonymous]

Great, actually! It’s just DS and his nanny all day exploring outside and doing stuff together inside. No friends, play dates, playgrounds - nothing. In these last eight months, nanny taught him to read and they do French lessons together online.

Pre-covid, they did lots of classes, play groups and storytimes and I do worry he’ll have a hard adjustment once back with children but this pure one-on-one with his nanny (a former teacher) has been pretty eye-opening in terms of his ability to learn quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great, actually! It’s just DS and his nanny all day exploring outside and doing stuff together inside. No friends, play dates, playgrounds - nothing. In these last eight months, nanny taught him to read and they do French lessons together online.

Pre-covid, they did lots of classes, play groups and storytimes and I do worry he’ll have a hard adjustment once back with children but this pure one-on-one with his nanny (a former teacher) has been pretty eye-opening in terms of his ability to learn quickly.

Same but with a two-year-old. My toddler seems to have gained so much from just concentrated one-on-one with me and no classes (which I used to think were so important).

[Anonymous]

Our 3 year old would have started preschool this year but didn’t due to covid. She’s never done any daycare/preschool or really any organized activities at all. All we had done that was semi-structured the past few years were moms group play dates, library story time, and a few outdoor classes at a nature center.

So she doesn’t know what she’s missing really (though she had been excited about starting school as she wanted to go to school like her older brother).

She seems pretty content at home but still sometimes asks when she can go to school.

I don’t know what we’ll do next year but it depends more on the pandemic than on our daughter—I think she’ll be fine either way. We go to playgrounds/parks, still do some outdoor nature classes, she has her older brother (age 5) to play with and he’s homeschooled right now so they have plenty of play time. We don’t do indoor play dates for now but have met up w friends at parks. If she does have to stay home next year I’ll probably look into a more structured preschool program to do at home but right now she’s just doing some writing/drawing practice and pattern blocks and puzzles for “homeschool.”

[Anonymous]

Better! Turns out those classes were worthless.

But I SAHM for now. I couldn’t work and do this.

[Anonymous]

That sounds about like my 3 yo (4 in december). She is happy at home, but we definitely depend on those playdates (one weekly indoor one with a "pod-mate", and then occasional outdoor stuff with neighbors). We are also doing a very minimal homeschool preschool called Blossom and Root.

Our local preschool was doing social distance and masks this year, which didn't seem worth it to me. If they let the kids play together next year, I will probably send her. It's 2 hrs every morning.

[Anonymous]

Our three year old also has a very engaged and educated nanny so he’s doing really well with her. But my 2.5 yr old niece went from a great daycare to being home with my working brother and sister-in-law and was really languishing. Her learning stopped and her behavior got really bad because she was just so bored. They put her back in daycare for just the mornings last week and she’s so happy!

I really think it has to do with your home situation.

[Anonymous]

Well my three year old just finished her first year of law school with her nanny who is a Harvard grad... now onto teaching potty training and not throwing toys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well my three year old just finished her first year of law school with her nanny who is a Harvard grad... now onto teaching potty training and not throwing toys.

Stop embarrassing yourself, PP. Learn to honor other parents’s choices without being so defensive.

PS. Our educated and experienced nanny completely potty trained our son at 22 months too and at just two knows “only throw balls”.

[Anonymous]

As a mom of 5 I am laughing at you not honoring you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a mom of 5 I am laughing at you not honoring you

Ugh, 5 kids. Don’t throw shade. You made your choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a mom of 5 I am laughing at you not honoring you

Yet you always have time to comment and follow DCUM. Your poor children.

[Anonymous]

Our three year old isn’t in preschool either and I do think he’s missing out on the social interaction. We had grand plans of doing a full preschool curriculum, but honestly, I’m just letting him play, learn about things he’s interested in and be a child.

[Anonymous]

She’s having a blast at home with us, grandparents, her two best friends, and lots of extra time with her local cousins who are a bit older and usually busy with activities.