[jlpumkin]

This may sound like a silly question but I'm curious. How much socialization is ideal or aqeduate for hs 4 yo?

I don't like feeling like a cruise director but we don't have neighborhood kids for play. We're military and are getting readyto cycle through a new group of friends. They are leaving, we're staying put. So we are starting over. Last year she went to preschool for a social outlet but it wasn't really satisfactory. BTW she's in spanish once per wk for an hour and gymnastics the same. Play dates/ groups?
Thanks for opinions.

 

[OTMomma]

I think this varries a huge amount per kid- some kids need more some less.... That said, I would think that the classes you are doing plus at least one good park play date a week would be fine

I think kids do need some free play time with other kids

to explore

social skills, but

: the amount doesn't need to be

: large.

Sorry for all the s

smilies, dd is helping

Peace,

:

 

[jayb842]

Hi,

We are in the same boat. We have a 3.5 year old ds. He loves kids and loves to go to classes. Dh and I go back and forth with the amount of activies Ds needs. Dh'd fear is that if we start going to a ton of classes and playdates we will be running around to much. So we have decided that he will do two classes. One is gymnastics and the other is the zoo class. We will also do MOPS. We gymnastics and Mops will alternate weeks. One week we will do gymnastics, one week is MOPS. We will do pre-school work on MWF. T and TH we will be at classes.

Jay

 

[Ann-Marita]

When my daughter was about that age, we started attending weekly homeschool park days. DD also took dance classes, and I think she was still taking gymnastics then, too. But the park days were the star.

Park days were (and continue to be), generally, these long wonderful days of open-ended play for her, and supportive social contact for me. One park day was more worthwhile than a week of more mainstream social contacts (preschool, dance class, gym, etc.).

What are the homeschool support groups like in your area?

 

[jlpumkin]

Homeschool support groups... hmm. There are a lot (5 maybe?) of hs groups here. Only 1 actually will let us participate b/c my daughter is not technically hs - meaning we don't yet have to register with the state/or kindergarten age. The one that we are welcome to does not meet on a consistent basis with the same kids, at least during summer months. This has made it difficult.
Also my dd is an introvert. In order for an activity to become comfortable she needs a lot of time to warm up. We sometimes do the metropark classes for 3 - 5 yos or the library story times but with always different blends of kids she doesn't do much social interaction.

 

[RedWine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlpumkin Only 1 actually will let us participate b/c my daughter is not technically hs - meaning we don't yet have to register with the state/or kindergarten age.

Wow does that piss me off. What do they have to gain from excluding you?!?!

:

 

[lauracd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedWine Wow does that piss me off. What do they have to gain from excluding you?!?! :

Most of the HS groups around here are that way too....not very forward thinking in my opinion.

 

[OTMomma]

Well, since you mention that your dd is an introvert- I'd just wait and work on cultivating one or 2 friends to play date with once a week or so- it could be a child from her dance class, or a child from the homeschool group you can participate in. My homeschool group has a yahoo presence where members can post they are looking for someone to do something with- could you do that?

 

[Roar]

I agree with the suggestion to try to foster friendships through regular playdates. Big group stuff doesn't tend to net a lot of friends especially for more introverted kids.

 

[jlpumkin]

OTMomma & Roar - definitely I think I'll go that route. I hadn't thought of posting to my young homeschoolers group. That's a great idea!

As for excluding us, I don't really get it either. I really sort of thought well if you don't want me now what makes you think I want you next year? They didn't say please don't come. Just repeatedly kept telling me to go to another group for preschool aged kids. Enough said. I guess one of them actually developed the group I'm in now so that younger kids would be together. I'm sure that we do have different concerns with different age groups... but I also see the value in learning from people who have already btdt.