“Your child is a kinesthetic learner.”

[Anonymous]

I think we need to switch daycares. My son (age 4) has been in the same school since he was an infant, but the school has labeled him as a kinesthetic learner, which I am assuming is code for “fidgety, disruptive kid we don’t really want to deal with but we are putting up with for now because enrollment is down during the pandemic.”

I feel like I need a new program. Any ideas on a good program for my kind of kid in Old Town or Del Ray?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Learning styles are literally junk science. So I would question them about what they actually mean.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

You should have included that in your op and not said you assumed. Yes, it might be time to switch to a play based daycare.

[Anonymous]

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.

You should have included that in your op and not said you assumed. Yes, it might be time to switch to a play based daycare.

If you don’t have suggestions of other daycares in the area specified you’re not really helping.

[Anonymous]

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.

OP this is important context and, yes, your preschool is the problem here. Unfortunately I don’t have good recommendations for the part of the area you’re asking about but your instinct is good — get him out of there ASAP.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

This theory of different types of learners is somewhat outdated, but it should NOT be derogatory. My daughter definitely learns kinesthetically, but is not fidgety at all, on the contrary, she's very focused and attentive. She just likes exploring things with her hands, she likes crafts and learned her multiplication tables (in elementary school) by doing jumping jacks.

[Anonymous]

12:40 again. Sorry, I didn't read your update.

Your son may need to move more, or he could have hyperactive ADHD. At his age, it's still difficult to distinguish, but if this is a daily problem in multiple settings, then, yes, you should have him evaluated. If he ends up with a diagnosis, you'll know to pick schools that can accommodate that.

[Anonymous]

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?