[Jule'sMomInOR]

I'm curious how many activities your gifted children were in when they were toddlers. My DD is 18 months old and she's in way more activities than the other kids in our PR. She does art class, music class, Gymboree, and library story time. She has an activity every day and sometimes two in one day (Gymboree is the most common). What do you think of structured activities vs. free play? The only thing I know for sure is that I have more fun at these activities.

[BensMom]

My oldest son took a few classes because dh thought "everybody does it, so we should do it". Only later did he realize what a waste of time it was (it was expensive, and my son doesn't even remember any of it... it was mostly just stressful with the constant coming and going when he would rather have gone to the park or colored pictures with me). My younger doesn't do any classes like that.

[AmAnDaMo]

We didn't do preschool for either of our girls, so we did activities as sort of a replacement for that in order for them to enjoy being around other kids, to get used to authority figures other than the two of us before beginning K, to learn skills that will last a lifetime (swimming lessons, for example), and to expose them to lots of different things in order for them to find something they really enjoy and want to continue as they get older. In my oldest daughter's case, it was also a great way for her to figure out that sometimes you have to work at something to get better, because she was so used to things coming easily to her in terms of academics. I think that's something that's better for them to experience sooner rather than later.

[Jule'sMomInOR]

Originally Posted by BensMom

My oldest son took a few classes because dh thought "everybody does it, so we should do it". Only later did he realize what a waste of time it was (it was expensive, and my son doesn't even remember any of it... it was mostly just stressful with the constant coming and going when he would rather have gone to the park or colored pictures with me). My younger doesn't do any classes like that.

That's interesting. I find it more stressful trying to find things to do at home. I feel so much less stressed when we get out of the house and have play dates or a class to pass the time than reading the same books and playing with the same toys over and over. Maybe it's because Juliana is so clingy and needs me to play with her constantly. Or maybe it's because I get adult interaction when we're out.

[BensMom]

Try to wean her slowly from the constant interaction by encouraging her to think more deeply on her own. No matter where you are or what you're doing, ask lots of questions. If she's wrong, don't tell her the answer, ask her why she said that. She might surprise you and have a valid reason for her answer. If not, keep giving clues until she figures it out. Encourage her to make or do something "for you" and then praise her efforts. Put her drawings on the fridge, call daddy at work, or whatever. The more she feels like she's doing right, the less she'll depend on you. It leads to more creativity, more confidence, and better problem solving. It doesn't matter how much you teach a child if they don't know what to do with the knowledge. Teaching a child how to learn and how to problem solve will allow them to learn things you never thought possible for someone their age.

[clouise]

I don't do any structured activities for my 18 month old other than storytime at the libary. And that is mainly because she is tagging along with my four year old. About three or four is when I've noticed my kids really showing interest in getting out and doing more.

[Hugo&Sergiosmom]

At 18 mos. all we did was storytime at the library. I don't believe they need a lot of structured "activities" at a young age. Toddler attention spans are not the same length as older preschoolers/kids who enjoy 30-minute plus classes. We found that the things they do at the paid classes (Little Gym, music, etc.) were nothing more than stuff we already did at home and never paid for any of those. It might be a nice way to meet other families if you don't have a network of friends with same age kids though.

Sergio isn't in any formal activities although he's very interested in Hugo's martial arts and watches the classes and counts along in Japanese. I think he'll be ready in the fall, but has to turn 3 before he can enroll. Hugo's excited about him being in his class. We started Hugo there at 3. We believe in only 1 activity at a time at this age but might let him add some formal music practice/lesson in the future when he's older. Too many structured activities is not good... for your stress level or theirs.