do I push or not with dance class ?

[TraciG]

We've been going to dance for over a month now, Sydney was fine at the beginning as long as she saw me during the class, plus her friend is in the class too . Now they close the wall which was better with her at first so she couldn't run to me every 5 minutes & be distracting but last week she was crying so I went in with her, all other mother's sit in another room . Sydney wouldn't participate for about 10 minutes, I told her I was disappointed with her & she knew I was angry, after I felt like a stage mother ! What do I do, should we stop going if after today I really see she doesn't like it or should I not let her quit , she 3, any suggestions ??

[Puddy73]

I wouldn't push it. Maybe you could try again in six months or so? We tried dance class with our DD for a few months, but she just didn't have the focus to follow instructions for an hour. Since it was supposed to be a fun activity for her, we didn't see any point in continuing when she wasn't enjoying it.

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle 9/08/03 & Finn 10/31/05

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane." - Jimmy Buffett

[chlobo]

We had some issues with gymnastics. What helped us was to have DH take DD to the class. She did much better when I was taken out of the equation all together. Is there another family member (Mother, MIL, etc) who might be able to take her?

[megs4413]

she's still pretty young so i'm inclined to say just wait and try again when she's older, but my personal opinion is that teaching kids to finish what they start is important, too. commitment and dedication are important lessons to learn, IMO. but at 3? eh....

i think the idea of having someone else drop her off might be good...could you work out a carpool situation with the mom of her friend that is in the class?

[katiesmommy]

Don't get discouraged by one bad class. You never know what will happen next week. I taught 3-4 year olds for a few years, and they are very unpredictable. One week they may be screaming, the next they may be perfectly fine. At our studio the parents are in the same room as the kids, but honestly I think it would be better if they weren't. Many kids seem like they don't like it, but either like it while they are doing it, or they end up loving it at some point. Try taking her for a couple more weeks and see how it goes, if she continues to not like it, then pull her out then.

[katiesmommy]

dp, slow boards

[squimp]

Sounds like she might not be quite ready for a class without mama. That's not a big deal - seems pretty common at that age, watching in DD's gymnastics class. There is only one child in DD's age 3 gymnastics class that does the class all by herself, and even she wants her mama nearby at times.

I would try to talk with her about it, some other time (not just before class). Does she like the class? All the other little girls are by themselves, does she want to take the class that way too? My DD is about the same age, and we can have that kind of conversations. It has helped us decide which classes to continue and which classes to drop.

[luvmypeanut]

Don't give up. My dd started dance class when she was 3 and cried for the first 2 classes. After that, it was like a switch turned on and she was fine. Our dance school has a lot of glass windows so the parents can keep an eye on the class without having to be inside the room. I asked my dd if she wanted me to sit in or out of the classroom and she said she wanted me inside so that's where I sit. There have been the occaisional days where she doesn't feel like dancing but she understands that she has to sit in on the class even if she doesn't dance. About half the 3 yr olds in the class had problems initially letting go, but you'll find that the teachers are accustomed to tears and are quite good at getting the kids to participate and have fun.

[jvorhis]

My sister has taught dance for over 10 years and teaches school so she is a trained professional. She take the kids and shuts the studio door. The parents stay in the waiting room just outside. This is what works for her. Even if she has ones that cry she gets them through it. Usually after a few minutes they are fine but she has told me that she has held some the whole class for a couple of classes until they get use to the situation. If she left the door open all the little ones would want mom and she could never teach the class.

Even Emma has times when she is hanging on me going to dance and I make her go in. She loves her Aunt Jeanine but sometimes it is just hard to leave mom. Once she gets in there, she loves it.

I would talk to the teacher and she what she thinks but I would give it some time.

[TraciG]

I am the only one who can take Sydney to class, so today she fell asleep on the way, a deep sleep so we turned around !! I think that maybe a small part of it is that she's tired, her nap time isn't until 1:45 -2 but after school on dance class day she watches TV for about a half hour & eat's lunch before we leave, then is int he car, I bet she's tired to begin with when we're there. She sometimes still doesn't want me to leave at her nursery school which she loves so imagine at this class !! I am going to try again a few times I just don't know what I should say to her the next time if she doesn't want to participate, do I say it's ok or let her know I'm disappointed or just face it , she's not into it ???????? !!!!!!!

[TraciG]

I am the only one who can take Sydney to class, so today she fell asleep on the way, a deep sleep so we turned around !! I think that maybe a small part of it is that she's tired, her nap time isn't until 1:45 -2 but after school on dance class day she watches TV for about a half hour & eat's lunch before we leave, then is int he car, I bet she's tired to begin with when we're there. She sometimes still doesn't want me to leave at her nursery school which she loves so imagine at this class !! I am going to try again a few times I just don't know what I should say to her the next time if she doesn't want to participate, do I say it's ok or let her know I'm disappointed or just face it , she's not into it ???????? !!!!!!!

[katiesmommy]

If the class is going on durning her normal nap time, it's probably that she's tired. It may just be the wrong time of day for her. Is there a class at another time that you could try? At least if she's had her nap and she still doesn't want to do it, you know it's because she doesn't like it, and not that she's just too tired to be enthusiastic about it.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I would let her quit. She is only 3.

If you spent a lot of $ though and the teacher is willing to work with her then stick with it. It may get better.

I have been there with gymnastics and dance. It is frustrating! But, getting mad just didn't seem to make sense. We always stuck out the term and there were times that it got better. The right teacher can make a world of difference. :)

Beth

[TraciG]

the class isn't at nap time, it's an hour before nap time but I'm sure watching TV & the car ride make her tired a little earlier . At the beginning she siad she didn't like the teacher, but then a couple of times she talked to her & seemed fine. I am paying by the month so I'll see how the next couple of times go .

It is ridiculous that I got made at her it's not like she's doing this on purpose !

I agree about having the right teacher, funny because I too wasn't thrilled with the teacher , I LOVE her school teacher's , guess I was comparing !

[hudsonam]

I started dance class when I was 5, and I used to hate going because I was terribly shy. Being that I was the fourth child, my mom didn't feel like arguing with me every Sat. morning, so she let me quit, and I always wished she'd pushed me to stay in it, at least a little longer. I was in it for barely a year.

Since your DD is only 3, I'd maybe wait another year or so and try again. Hopefully she'll love it then. :)