Is this because my child is an only, or what?

[Ravin]

We've just started up lessons again after a long winter break. DD insists upon incorporating an imaginary classroom full of imaginary students into the lessons. She takes turns being a teacher with me or the teacher's helper, and being one of the students (herself or another). The imaginary students all bear the names of her enrichment program classmates, stuffed animals, or friends. The process tends to make lessons take about ten times longer than they would if we just sat down and did them. I generally humor her because it does get the lesson done more peacably than the ensuing temper tantrum that would occur if I insisted we just do the lesson without the game.

DD is in a classroom one day a week for her enrichment program, and really enjoys it. She's also gotten some flack from neighbor kids who have told her she should go to school more than once a week.

Is this just a phase? A way of processing stuff? A way to get me to engage in her fantasy play (which she won't do on her own or with dolls or whatever like I did when I was a kid)? How long am I going to have to keep giving math lessons to her while she pretends to be her teddy bear, etc.? Am I just being a stick in the mud for being impatient and finding it aggravating?

[NaturalMamma]

How old is your DD?
My DD is an only and we didn't do any formal lessons until she was about 8. Although I should say we were in a HS co-op for a couple of yrs 1 day a week where she did have a classroom-like situation. (But, in retrospect, I wish we had not done the co-op.)

My DD is pretty imaginative and engaged herself in some fantasy play (dolls, legos, cars, etc.) and our HSing was very relaxed for those earlier years. Even now, when she is 9yo she can only handle minimal sit-down type of work b/c she is kinesthetic.

I don't know much about your situation, but it could be that your DD needs some more outlets for her imaginative play or a different style of HSing. I'd be curious to know what her enrichment program looks like. Perhaps that contributes to the scenario you describe. It would stand to reason that she would come to expect her school at home to look like her day at the enrichment school.

[Lillian J]

I think it will pass before long - I'd try to hang in there till it subsides. Children do go through lots of phases and experimentation, and I look back and wish I'd just ignored a lot of the little concerns I had along the way. Lillian

[karemore]

Just laughing because we have two pteranodons in our classroom.

One behaves badly and always disrupts the class. Probably would drive me nuts if I let it.

Mine's an only child too.

[Mommy&Will]

My boys are really into pretending to be in school. I play the school bus driver a d pick them up ( and then we chugga around the living room before dropping them off at the dining room). I have found though that when it comes to lessons I have to set parameters or I find myself getting cranky and annoyed. Btw- my boys are 7 and 5 and "school" lasts 30-45 minutes. Sometimes more if we have a special project.

[dotnetdiva]

My 5 year old holds school sessions with dozens of her dinosaurs (we have 1 pteradactyl). I think it's cute. Then again, she doesn't do this while she's having actual lessons, she does it in her playtime...