Toddler's montessori

[raj]

My 2 year old was doing great in montessori for the first 2 weeks. Now he has regressed, does not want to go to school any more. Keeps saying "No School". I work full time and have Nanny who can not drive. Any suggestions/experience what I should do..Is it ok if I kept him home until 3 years or until he can really talk to so he can communicate better? I do feel he gets bored at home...:(

[wellyes]

Would it be possible for you to sit with him for a day at the preschool to figure out what it is he doesn't like? Maybe it is something fixable - and then he'll have a great experience.

Or, of course it's OK to keep him home. Around here the standard for preschool is to start at 2 years, 9 months. It would be not just OK, but normal to keep him home until then (and even after, of course, if that works for your family).

[raj]

Thanks for you r suggestion! I might just do that..never thought of it. I have stayed an hour to observe his classroom from a distance but never longer or with them in the class room.

[egoldber]

This can be pretty normal. A lot of kids think preschool is very fun at first, and then after a few weeks, when they realize this is going to be an everyday thing, they start to protest. It can be for many reasons. Maybe they are tired, maybe they had an issue with a kid in class, maybe they had a teacher say a (not necessarily intentionally) unkind thing, etc.

Have you talked to the teacher to see what their impressions are? They should be used to helping kids transition and can tell you if what they are seeing in the classroom is normal or not.

But as to the question of delaying, both my kids started preschool at 2, but that was for my own reasons, not because I felt they "needed" it. I think they if you have an active nanny who is able to get out and about and provide stimulation, then it is totally unnecessary. But if your nanny is not like that or needs prompting/a lot of help with ideas, then perhaps the preschool/nanny mixture is the better fit for you.

But I really think that 2 weeks is still very much in the initial adjustment period. I think that several weeks will give a more accurate picture of whether or not that preschool (or any) is a good fit.