dealing with persistence in little ones?

[Walking-Iris]

I suspect my 2 year old of being gifted. I have no real way of proving it other than my instincts. I had a thread about my thoughts ages ago on here. Be that as it may, how do you guys deal with a little one who wants in her mind more than her body can physically do? And doesn't give up easily?

 

My dd is obsessed with science. She asks for "science time" all the time. She pulls down our science books and talks about the pics and asks us to read the experiment instructions to her. (she likes to talk about what would happen) I have been trying to do Mudpies to Magnets, Everybody Has A Body and Growing Growing Strong with her regularly. She is in love with that Mudpies book. She takes it down at sometimes the most inconvenient times and will look through and pick out a activity...and woe to us if the timing is not right to do a Mudpies activity. (I thought about hiding it. shame. but I know she'll just ask for it.)

 

I do one or two activities with her nearly daily. As well as the times she plays with HWT wooden letters, math manipulatives or art stuff. I have been giving her my Kinder's ScienceWork sheets and activities along with him as well. She participates in anything my 4th grader does as well. But she always wants MORE!!!!

 

But how do you deal with the intensity of your gifted toddler? The intense and, dare I say it, stubborn, need to do what they want to do right then, when there are other needs (like other homeschooling kids, dinner, baths, laundry etc) that need to be done?

 

The activities in the science books she likes aren't necessarily things a 2 year old can do self directed. She has the mind for them, but physically she's still 2 and can't set up herself or be left alone with most science materials, kwim? I've already planned on including her in any science we do. I've already decided to put together a big bin of all the materials needed (and extras) to have on hand when she wants to do something in her books I don't have in the house. To cut down on that particular frustration. I also have a few science games (spill your guts and somebody) that she will gladly play with for a minute.

 

The age old advice of directing a toddler's attention elsewhere does nothing here. She doesn't want a toy, or food, or nap, or....and even if I succeed at distracting her momentarily she's right back to what she originally wanted to do in the first place.

 

I really honestly think she can do and understand most of the levels of science I have in the house (she just wouldn't be able to do physical activities like writing). I can distract her sometimes easily enough with a box of nature things and a loupe.

 

So two questions... commiseration on the persistence behaviors? And does anyone have ANY ideas how to sate a 2 year old's appetite for science without *constant* work and supervision from me?

[Freckles]

My 13 year old was/still like that, but not for Science. Would she enjoy science videos like Bill Nye?? It's not always age appropriate. I don't know what to tell you other then having a schedule made with pictures where she can see when to expect her science time with mom. Then it is visually time to move on to other things. Good luck

[Greenmama2]

The picture schedule is a good idea. I have nothing useful for you. Reading that have me flashbacks & I am thanking my lucky stars that my child like that was my eldest. She is still similar but at six she can at least logically accept that if I said we will do it after x y z, then we probably will.

 

ETA I did start hiding the odd really parent intensive thing when she was three so I could attend to the baby. Shameful but I had newborn mam brain.

[ebunny]

?

 

My dd is obsessed with science. She asks for "science time" all the time. She pulls down our science books and talks about the pics and asks us to read the experiment instructions to her. (she likes to talk about what would happen) I have been trying to do Mudpies to Magnets, Everybody Has A Body and Growing Growing Strong with her regularly. She is in love with that Mudpies book. She takes it down at sometimes the most inconvenient times and will look through and pick out a activity...and woe to us if the timing is not right to do a Mudpies activity. (I thought about hiding it. shame. but I know she'll just ask for it.)

 

I do one or two activities with her nearly daily. As well as the times she plays with HWT wooden letters, math manipulatives or art stuff. I have been giving her my Kinder's ScienceWork sheets and activities along with him as well. She participates in anything my 4th grader does as well. But she always wants MORE!!!!

 

But how do you deal with the intensity of your gifted toddler? The intense and, dare I say it, stubborn, need to do what they want to do right then, when there are other needs (like other homeschooling kids, dinner, baths, laundry etc) that need to be done?

 

The age old advice of directing a toddler's attention elsewhere does nothing here. She doesn't want a toy, or food, or nap, or....and even if I succeed at distracting her momentarily she's right back to what she originally wanted to do in the first place.

 

I really honestly think she can do and understand most of the levels of science I have in the house (she just wouldn't be able to do physical activities like writing). I can distract her sometimes easily enough with a box of nature things and a loupe.

 

So two questions... commiseration on the persistence behaviors? And does anyone have ANY ideas how to sate a 2 year old's appetite for science without *constant* work and supervision from me?

 

You have a mini version of my DD. ;-)

Well, my DD was..is...very persistent to this day. She's 7. So, that persistence isn't going to change anytime soon.

But..but..it gets easier to say 'No''. The trick is to stick to the 'No' even when she wears you down with the same questions/request 150 times.

 

At 2, I don't really see a way out with the supervision and work. I'm very wary of recommending T.V documentaries for that age.(..it's a slippery slope, you know?) but, if you're at your wits end with her nagging(I know I was), Blue Planet by David Attenborough is a very good documentary.

[serendipitous journey]

Button was intense, but not driven to do things per se ... you really have your hands full!

 

I have two science activity ideas, and a thought that she might enjoy the Schlessinger/Library Video "___ for Kids" series. They are pretty much too expensive to buy but your library might have them. They are for K-4 and I have found the content to be pretty tame, and the presentation to be low-baud/lowish-frequency -- that is, they are a bit old school and not flashy & quick at all.

 

RE age-appropriate science, Sandbox Scientist is a book of "kits" you make for ages 2-7ish or so and just let them at it. Some are more work than others. I think this is the best early-years science I have ever seen.

 

Also, maybe montessori activities? this ties into the above -- lots of droppers, tweezers, tongs, sieves, &c. Maybe you could set her up with 2- or 3- part cards to do? something like that.

 

and you might like to look at Charlotte Mason sites for thoughts RE gentle discipline & character work to help her manage her intensity -- I myself haven't been able to get much benefit from Charlotte's original works (I disagree with a chunk of it and other chunks are just not workable for me -- I start feeling bad/guilty) but the folks who do CM have a lot of experience thinking about growing healthy, delightful children so I find their perspectives useful.

[Tanikit]

My 2nd child is starting to show signs of giftedness now though she has met milestones consistently slower than her elder sister. So firstly I commiserate with you - it is becoming harder and harder to deal with the older one when the younger one is screaming for attention (literally screaming). Like you, I also always include the younger with my elder - she hears the same books read to the elder, watches the same videos and does the same crafts though I do occassionally scale back what she is doing to make it more manageable.

 

Basically though I have found that my nearly 2 year old is capable of being reasoned with - so if I explain to her that we will do something after she's had her bath or after she's eaten a few spoons of food that works and she will do what I need her to do. However reasoning about doing something after I have finished with the elder NEVER seems to work and she just throws a tantrum.

 

Science experiments that work with toddlers include letting them pour a little water on the floor and explaining evaporation to them, letting them watch you boil an egg and letting them put a lid on a pot to make steam, plenty of floating and sinking in the bath, any of the BFSU experiments that are aimed at kindergarteners and above, playing with gravity (ie throwing or dropping things), sorting and classifying, nature walks, mixing things (give her some kitchen items like water, rice, flour etc and let her mix them - its messy but it is independent)

 

If she is safe with small items you could get some of those toys like a marble run or one of those fine motor things that beep when you touch the circuit and just let her play - my own can spend ages sending marbles down a marble run and while it requires a bit of time from me to set it up to keep her interest, it gives me a bit of time.

 

With the dinner, baths and laundry I get my toddler to help me - so dinner is endless science experiments - I just keep talking while we cook, peel, cut, boil together (safety must be addressed here first!), the bath is the perfect place for endless science experiments and I also stay in the room with both my girls and read to them while they bath and play and she'll help some with laundry sorting and helping load the machine as long as we do something more fun afterwards.

 

The only other thing that you could try is to have science time at a particular time of day so that it is part of the routine and she knows when it is coming and will be less likely to ask for it at other times. This does not work in my house - we struggle with routine with set times, but 2 year olds generally can with ease get into a routine and accept it.

[Walking-Iris]

Thank you guys for all the suggestions. I did take the time at the beginning of the year to make her some Pinterest inspired busy bags. She's ran through all of them. She still has her favorites, usually the ones that work the fine motor skills. I do also set out some Montessori inspired activities. She also will play with her play doh caddy or a tub of beans and rice I made with scoops and little figures to find.

 

I really appreciate the science book recs and am going to look at them closer. I love the idea of a picture schedule for her. Maybe in a binder? Or a clock face with hands and pics?

 

I think partly it's the fault of Mudpies. It's a good book, but it does require some materials that are not just lying around usually. I think she'll do RSO with my 1st grader and I'll look for some science activity books that aren't as dated as Mudpies and try to make her some new busy bag kits. Time to search the Pinterest boards as well.

 

Yah I like CM well enough. I'm an AP parent so the discipline isn't really the issue. I like that she wants to learn. Right now I'm thinking a schedule of sorts (or tweaked workbox) will help. She's also pretty much over most toys for her age range. (except her dolls!!)

 

I think this will get easier when spring comes and she can get in the garden and start bringing in the insect pets again. :)

 

She can stay pretty happy playing with attribute blocks or pattern blocks, c-rods and bead stairs, number rods or counting sticks, and so on. All those maths manipulatives are fun for her. She loves the HWT wooden letters. I keep all these activities rotated on cafeteria style trays on a little shelf for her. I keep art supplies in plastic steralite drawers, and she's free to look at art cards all she wants (which she loves as well)

 

I just need to work harder at getting science more hands on and self directed for her.

[kiwik]

I have one of those too. Distraction works for a few minutes then he's back to the original point with renewed vigour. It just prolongs the pain. He is not as easy to reason with as the older one, he listens, agrees, then goes right back to arguing, yelling and attempting acts of violence. If you don't have any terribly antisocial behavoirs you are probably on the right track.

[lizbusby]

I know we're trying to avoid TV for little ones, but really, Magic School Bus is a great resource for littles science. It actually deals with some heavy concepts and is very age appropriate.

[Greenmama2]

Yes, my DD watched all 50 plus episodes by 4.5 - on VERY limited screen time. It helped fill a need in her while I was dealing with baby number two who walked before 11 months & has been a cyclone since then.

[Walking-Iris]

We've been tv free for about 8 months. We've recently decided to slowly integrate it back in on a very limited screen time basis. I've been craving all the history docs for my ds. I'll have to give some science docs and programs some thought for her.

[throughpagesandfields]

My DS went through a very similar stage. Some of his intensity lessened a lot once I worked with him a little differently. We started doing a LOT more... I'm kind of a stay at home and have a quiet routine kind of parent... but he just really needed more world stimulation. So - we go out a lot more. To stores, parks, zoos, libraries, story times, gymnastics, church... We have about 3 regularly scheduled fun/stimulating/kid things we do a week... and I try to do something fun new every week. It kinda goes against my nature - but you can see him integrating himself a little... does that make sense?

 

I second the Charlotte Mason rec. I think she's my single biggest HS guru. She's just sooooo wise - reading her complete works she just UNDERSTOOD kids. I struggled a lot because she doesn't recommend any "school" until 6... Well - my kid needed something! :) So while I'm adding things very gently for him - and do plan on doing "pre-k" in a very non-schooly way next year... I can say that her Early Education info has helped me SOOO much. Simply Charlotte Mason's put together a nice Early Years guide.

.

In terms of the stubborn/no thing... I've found 2 things to be absolutely vital. 1st - is to have a routine. A routine thorugh the day. A routine way of doing things. Second is to mean it - no matter WHAT the consequences - when I say no. I was soooo terrified of the future when he was 2-3... I was just worried it would get harder and harder... And it's just not - because of these two things. The only downside is that to be honest? Nobody else can work with him. If he's in anyone else's care he either ends up getting absolutely everything he wants or fighting the entire time. :( But the upside is that he's not quite good company most of the time and I love being with him! :) haha!

[Walking-Iris]

Thank you for that. Things have been going tons better. She's intense and persistent but not in a "hard to handle" way. Hard to explain online. She's sweet and quiet and cute and I hardly have behavior issues, she's just super smart and needs an outlet for that. I focus on her and my Kinder first in the morning, and she has begun to understand that there is a time for certain things and so she doesn't ask for science time randomly any longer because she understands that we had already had our time together. I also have activities for her that she can pull out in her own when she wants.

 

Now (since I first started this thread) she just wants to talk to me all the time. I can handle that. As she's getting older she's beginning to be able to do things on her own, so she keeps herself pretty busy. her recent science obsession is color and light, so she explore s everything with her flashlight and plays with her Montessori inspired color grading paint chips. My Kinder has been great too. He entertains her teaching her everything he can about dinosaurs.

 

I really need to get CM's book set. I have been meaning to forever. A friend recently gave me a ton of Montessori materials that may (I hope) be a godsend to me for her in the next few years.

[LittleIzumi]

I am a bad mom, lol. I either send him off with the K'er once she is done (and next year she'll be in classes three days a week, eeeeeeep what will I do?!) or let him play on the iPad. He loves the preschool apps. Otherwise it's a constant (wonderful but draining) stream of "read to me!!!" "Starfall!" "Math!!!" "MathRider!!" "Read it!!" "Jupiter book!" "Saturn! Read Saturn!" over and over and over and over and over, lol. I did pull out a preschool curriculum and tried that, and he was so enamoured with it that he refuses to let me switch to the next week and wants to do apple activities and read apple books over and over and over, lol. And he likes to play outside, but our yard is still half buried in snow and he's not a fan of that, so he keeps trying to play in the driveway or the street, sooooo nope.