Terrifying Toddler groups
Come on, it can't just be me that is filled with a sinking feeling of pure dread when faced with a toddler group?
Before we moved, I was a part time working mummy and although it was good to have the social aspect of work and the money of course, I found it very hard to find a balance and felt a bit like I didn't fit in, in either place.
At work, I always felt like I had missed important or new information on the two days I wasn't in and at home i felt so wiped on my two days with Oscar that I didn't feel like tackling toddler groups (which were all miles away anyway).
Once a week we went to A, not at all inexpensive, Music class which was enjoyable and exhausting but it was only 45 minutes long and did not really offer Oscar the time to socialise or me the time to meet any of the mum's.
Since we have moved and I have become a stay at home mummy, I have been to morevtoddler groups than ever before. However we still haven't found our routine, for some reason it suddenly feels incredibly important which toddler groups I choose. I want to enrich Oscar with new experiences whilst also providing him with an enjoyable session...and maybe wearing him out a bit. Lol.
So far we have experienced three very different groups which just proves that there is some sense in trying a few different ones.
The first was a free group at a local childrens centre-which is fantastic by the way and I feel very thankful to live walking distance from such a place now- it was a small group with a bunch of vaguely themed toys in slightly suggested corners of the room. Oscar ran from corner to corner before settling on a train set for about 20 minutes before discovering there was a garden. Which I then spent the next hour freezing in, whilst he whizzed about wildly.
I chatted to one or two mum's briefly and the atmosphere was relaxed. Oscar didn't speak to any children nd got a bit frustrated when he tried to talk to them and then weren't able to communicate back. He's quite advanced on his speech and it often makes him cross when he encounters other children who are not able to speak to him yet. The group ended with a snack (which always fills me with dread and puts me on edge because I have no idea what kind of behaviour to expect.) Once we established that Oscar was nit supposed to be sitting in the middle of the mat but around the edge like everyone else, he actually managed quite well and calmly ate through one breadsticks and one cheese biscuit before very politely asking for more kiwi.
Leaving was a tiny bit of a mission and in the end I had to bundle him out the for with one boot on and half a coat but the overall verdict was positive.
The second toddler group was a Steiner group in the living room of an old farmhouse. From the start it was the poor opposite as I was greeted into the lavender scented room with a cammomile tea and after removing our shoes we entered the space. I was only slightly apprehensive when I saw that the group was to take place in a room no bigger than my own living room and with 7 other children ranging in age from 10 months to 3.5 years, I was concerned that my wild child would struggle.
As with Steiner education, the room was filled with wholesome wooden and cloth toys and the children encouraged to free play. Oscar roamed about for a bit and I constantly kept one eye on him, he doesn't like to be led in play so ibfelr a tiny bit guilty when all the other parents were making play suggestions and guidance to their children. However I found the atmosphere welcoming and rather than awkward, it was actually very easy to talk to the small group of lovely mum's.
Halfway through the session the parents he to complete a craft activity which was to see a felt winter gnome. It was nice to achieve something myself in a toddler group and made me feel quite accomplished and pleased. (If you have kids you will understand, if you don't have kids imagine a life where going to the toilet alone is cause for celebration nd you might be able to put it in perspective.
The session then turned into putting away and was then followed by preparing the room with tiny tables and chairs nd preparing fruit for a snack.
At this point I start to sweat
Fruit is my child's weakness and he had just say down in front of a huge plate of it.
We held hands and said a blessing- which was only mildly strange. The kids could then tuck in! As Oscar Wolfe's down three small plates if fruit salad I plastered a nervous smile on my face.
Shit.
Lo and behold as the tiny field mouse was brought out for some quiet rhyme and story time, my wild child went...well, WILD!!
he began by running in circles around the quietly seated children basically shouting 'ahhh at the top of his voice. I stared in horror before making a swift dive after him as he left the room and made a break for the kitchen. In the kitchen he began making laps of the table, wildly waving his arms and shouting incessantly.
Eventually I managed to herd him back into the playroom where he promptly climbed onto the table, jumped onto the sofa, threw all the cuabiona on the floor and scaled the window sill to looks desperately for Jack frost. The main character featured in the cosy story our host was telling.
When it became clearly that attentions were being lost, the activity seamlessly transitioned to singing and action rhymes.
Great! We will be okay now I thought.
NOPE!
Oscar sat in the mildly of the circle, shouting the end of all the songs before the other children had got to them, he then pretty much rolled on top of them all during sleeping bunnies. To the point where the mum next to me felt compelled to protectivley place her arms around her child's head.
When the group finished I heaved a sigh if relief and chased after Oscar with his wellies, trying to damage limit as he mowed other children down in his haste. 🙈🙈🙈
Finally he was let out into the garden where he had to be pried off the climbing frame and ran all the way home shouting at the top of his voice.
The verdict; perfect for me but terrible for Oscar. It was too small and the children too young, the only child of a similar age to Oscar flinched every time Oscar got close to him. The sitting round the table was a lovley idea but was also way too much druit for oscar which i coukdnt limit without a melt down.
The atmosphere was amazing but I just think Oscar hot bored and needed more space to wear himself out.
Toddler group number three was more of a standard church hall affair. At £1 A session it was a cheap hour and a half. The organisers were friendly church goers who welcomed us and chatted freely. Oscar had a lot of raisins and I had a standard black tea which left me with a furry tongue -coffee and tea snob right here-
Oscar tore round the hall playing on everything and I idly followed him to make sure he didn't squash anyone. The group had the dreaded impenetrable walls of mum groups who were all firm friends and probably have been since NCT. However there were a few lost looking grandparents and one or two lone parents so not a complete disaster and to be honest it was quite nice not to have to talk to anyone for an hour or so.
The verdict; it was exactly what Oscar needed and he even willingly climbed into the pushchair after wards. Totally voluntarily. So I'm willing to put up with yucky tea and Positive Jesus posters if it gives me a tired Toddler and a break from talking!!
Before we moved, I was a part time working mummy and although it was good to have the social aspect of work and the money of course, I found it very hard to find a balance and felt a bit like I didn't fit in, in either place.
At work, I always felt like I had missed important or new information on the two days I wasn't in and at home i felt so wiped on my two days with Oscar that I didn't feel like tackling toddler groups (which were all miles away anyway).
Once a week we went to A, not at all inexpensive, Music class which was enjoyable and exhausting but it was only 45 minutes long and did not really offer Oscar the time to socialise or me the time to meet any of the mum's.
Since we have moved and I have become a stay at home mummy, I have been to morevtoddler groups than ever before. However we still haven't found our routine, for some reason it suddenly feels incredibly important which toddler groups I choose. I want to enrich Oscar with new experiences whilst also providing him with an enjoyable session...and maybe wearing him out a bit. Lol.
So far we have experienced three very different groups which just proves that there is some sense in trying a few different ones.
The first was a free group at a local childrens centre-which is fantastic by the way and I feel very thankful to live walking distance from such a place now- it was a small group with a bunch of vaguely themed toys in slightly suggested corners of the room. Oscar ran from corner to corner before settling on a train set for about 20 minutes before discovering there was a garden. Which I then spent the next hour freezing in, whilst he whizzed about wildly.
I chatted to one or two mum's briefly and the atmosphere was relaxed. Oscar didn't speak to any children nd got a bit frustrated when he tried to talk to them and then weren't able to communicate back. He's quite advanced on his speech and it often makes him cross when he encounters other children who are not able to speak to him yet. The group ended with a snack (which always fills me with dread and puts me on edge because I have no idea what kind of behaviour to expect.) Once we established that Oscar was nit supposed to be sitting in the middle of the mat but around the edge like everyone else, he actually managed quite well and calmly ate through one breadsticks and one cheese biscuit before very politely asking for more kiwi.
Leaving was a tiny bit of a mission and in the end I had to bundle him out the for with one boot on and half a coat but the overall verdict was positive.
The second toddler group was a Steiner group in the living room of an old farmhouse. From the start it was the poor opposite as I was greeted into the lavender scented room with a cammomile tea and after removing our shoes we entered the space. I was only slightly apprehensive when I saw that the group was to take place in a room no bigger than my own living room and with 7 other children ranging in age from 10 months to 3.5 years, I was concerned that my wild child would struggle.
As with Steiner education, the room was filled with wholesome wooden and cloth toys and the children encouraged to free play. Oscar roamed about for a bit and I constantly kept one eye on him, he doesn't like to be led in play so ibfelr a tiny bit guilty when all the other parents were making play suggestions and guidance to their children. However I found the atmosphere welcoming and rather than awkward, it was actually very easy to talk to the small group of lovely mum's.
Halfway through the session the parents he to complete a craft activity which was to see a felt winter gnome. It was nice to achieve something myself in a toddler group and made me feel quite accomplished and pleased. (If you have kids you will understand, if you don't have kids imagine a life where going to the toilet alone is cause for celebration nd you might be able to put it in perspective.
The session then turned into putting away and was then followed by preparing the room with tiny tables and chairs nd preparing fruit for a snack.
At this point I start to sweat
Fruit is my child's weakness and he had just say down in front of a huge plate of it.
We held hands and said a blessing- which was only mildly strange. The kids could then tuck in! As Oscar Wolfe's down three small plates if fruit salad I plastered a nervous smile on my face.
Shit.
Lo and behold as the tiny field mouse was brought out for some quiet rhyme and story time, my wild child went...well, WILD!!
he began by running in circles around the quietly seated children basically shouting 'ahhh at the top of his voice. I stared in horror before making a swift dive after him as he left the room and made a break for the kitchen. In the kitchen he began making laps of the table, wildly waving his arms and shouting incessantly.
Eventually I managed to herd him back into the playroom where he promptly climbed onto the table, jumped onto the sofa, threw all the cuabiona on the floor and scaled the window sill to looks desperately for Jack frost. The main character featured in the cosy story our host was telling.
When it became clearly that attentions were being lost, the activity seamlessly transitioned to singing and action rhymes.
Great! We will be okay now I thought.
NOPE!
Oscar sat in the mildly of the circle, shouting the end of all the songs before the other children had got to them, he then pretty much rolled on top of them all during sleeping bunnies. To the point where the mum next to me felt compelled to protectivley place her arms around her child's head.
When the group finished I heaved a sigh if relief and chased after Oscar with his wellies, trying to damage limit as he mowed other children down in his haste. 🙈🙈🙈
Finally he was let out into the garden where he had to be pried off the climbing frame and ran all the way home shouting at the top of his voice.
The verdict; perfect for me but terrible for Oscar. It was too small and the children too young, the only child of a similar age to Oscar flinched every time Oscar got close to him. The sitting round the table was a lovley idea but was also way too much druit for oscar which i coukdnt limit without a melt down.
The atmosphere was amazing but I just think Oscar hot bored and needed more space to wear himself out.
Toddler group number three was more of a standard church hall affair. At £1 A session it was a cheap hour and a half. The organisers were friendly church goers who welcomed us and chatted freely. Oscar had a lot of raisins and I had a standard black tea which left me with a furry tongue -coffee and tea snob right here-
Oscar tore round the hall playing on everything and I idly followed him to make sure he didn't squash anyone. The group had the dreaded impenetrable walls of mum groups who were all firm friends and probably have been since NCT. However there were a few lost looking grandparents and one or two lone parents so not a complete disaster and to be honest it was quite nice not to have to talk to anyone for an hour or so.
The verdict; it was exactly what Oscar needed and he even willingly climbed into the pushchair after wards. Totally voluntarily. So I'm willing to put up with yucky tea and Positive Jesus posters if it gives me a tired Toddler and a break from talking!!
Comments
Post a Comment