How to teach my 3-year old son?

Question

My 3-year old son is very cute, happy and active. However, he is becoming more persistent or stubborn. He has his own idea all the time. He says "No." most the time at his daycare.

In addition, he keeps running while other children sit around to study. The teachers can not stop him. At the same time, he can only concentrate a short time to learn, he just wants to play.

What can I do for the above things? Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

Three is pretty young and a lot of kids that age have a bit of an attitude and a short attention span. Do you read to him? For kids who have not been read to it is harder at school. It helps a child learn to sit and pay attention if he has experienced it in his home environment.Make it a regular part of your day.
When he is home does he get a lot of exercise and fresh air? Little kids have a lot of energy to burn. Does he sleep well at night? That is an indicator of problems. He needs to be taught how to sit still sometimes and that it is not OK to disrupt things.
Maybe you should get him checked out by a physician and also see if there are some counselors at school. It is pretty young to start labeling him but for your sake and his it might just be a good idea to get some input and possibly a few tests that help determine if there are any things you should be aware of.
Just remember he is very little still, but he needs to be taught a lot of things in the next few years, so that he is a likeable person and will be happy. He is getting old enough to understand some basics, like learning to consider how other people feel.

Answer 2

A while ago I became worried that my 4 yr old was not learning his alphabet even though we were doing flashcards daily. So of course I Googled "What should my 4 yr old Know." By doing so I found the best website every parent should be aware of. Here's a link to the site http://www.magicalchildhood.com/index2.htm
Click on Articles, scroll down to Education, then click on What A Four Year Old Should Know. I absolutely needed to hear this, such an eye opener.
As for your son, just love him and have TONS of patience. And if the school/daycare knows anything about children they will do the same.
P.S.
Once I backed off with the flashcards, I caught my son with some Alphabet magnets...He knew them all!

Answer 3

First of all children sometimes are very active for MANY reason: too much sugar, maybe a mental disorder, umm maybe he is hyper because he wants attention etc. the point is first identify if he has any MEDICAL reasons why he acts this way if not then go to the next reason psychological maybe he needs more attention from daddy. umm but whatever the reason remember that discipline begins in the home so if you are letting him behave that way when you need him to behave at home forget about him behaving with other adults .so educate your child by using the punishment rule
example: If he is jumping on the couch while watching TV and it bothers you then say that you are going to turn off the TV if he doesn't stop .If he continues turn off the TV.
the point is to make him see that there is a price involved for his behavior .
in summary slow discipline is what your child need and lots of understanding remember he is a CHILD not a small adult. hope this helps .let me know

Answer 4

It is normal for a three year old to be stubborn and test his limits. It is also normal for him to have a short attention span, he is three. I think that maybe if he was at home with his mother or father and not in daycare it would be easier for you to parent you child. Don't rely on a daycare worker to teach your child. Children will act out to get the attention they need and his parents are the ones that need to give it to him.

P.S. Playing is a good thing for children and adults

Answer 5

Sounds like he is too young to be in a school type setting. He would rather play than study. That is a sign of immaturity not ADHD. Not all children at three are ready to be placed into a "school". Obviously your son isn't ready. Find another day care where there isn't so much of a focus on "learning"

Answer 6

is he like that at home? You can not always take a teacher at her word. If you do not have these problems at home , I would consider changing daycares, talk to your child , listen to his point of view, he's 3 , he is not suppose to concentrate for long, not many 3 year olds do, and saying no is normal, maybe the teacher does not have the proper skills, sounds like he is just testing the boundaries, which is normal

Answer 7

Your question was like reading my mind!!

My 3 year old son is known for his energy level. Strangers tell me they get tired just talking to him. A store cashier recently commented over and over on how "busy" he is.

As if the energy level isn't hard enough to handle, he now responds to everything with "I don't want to.'

He doesn't want to put on underpants. He doesn't want to go to the grocery store. He doesn't want to eat dinner. I have been sooo frustrated. I also have an 11 month old daughter so while I'm pulling him out of the car to go to the store, I have a baby on my hip!

Reading the answers to your question has helped me remember a few of the basics I used to practice when he was my only child.

My son needs a lot of positive attention for good behavior, and immediate consequence for bad behavior. He's horsing around at dinner and spills his milk, he has to clean it up.

More one on one time, reading and playing, doing something special together, etc makes him a more centered child which makes me more sane!!

Answer 8

I wouldn't worry about ADD or ADHD just yet. He's still too young and those things are WAY over-diagnosed. Wait a couple years before going that route. Not all children that are more active have something wrong with them. Everyone's different.

Answer 9

Ask his daycare provider if she tries to use options with him and reflective language about his behavior while talking to him throughout the day.

Has she had early childhood education at all? We have a program in Michigan called K.E.E.P. Keeping Early Education Positive.

This program works with families and daycare providers to keep everthing positive for both..

Check with you local office for young children for resources.

Answer 10

He may end up being gifted. My middle child was like that ..she is a handful but only because her brain moves really fast and she gets bored easily. I use to worry when she was younger but we just had her skipped two grade levels (second grade to fourth in two months) because she was always bored. Turns out she is just extremely smart. Now she is being challanged and she has calmed down ALOT. She is still a 4.0 student and she can concenstate now because she is doing work now that she doesn't know yet. So she works at it instead of loosing interest quickly

Maybe your son just isn't being challanged or stimulated on his level and is bored