My (2 yo) son has little interaction with children his age these days. When he does and we eventually have to leave he gets very upset and to be honest I don't blame him. He used to have lots of interaction with his cousins but my SIL just had her third child and is at home a lot more therefore my son doesn't get to play with his cousins as much as he used to. We are not religious and feel a little out of sorts in our very religious neighborhood although we try to be very friendly and courteous. I'm wondering what would be a good way to get him into some more social interactions. Would a daycare for a few hours a week be good for him or are there other avenues that I should try to explore? To be quite frank, day cares make me a little nervous. Mostly because I really don't know how things are usually run.
Take him to the park, the library, the playground at the mall, anywhere that there are children. Sign up for the story time at the library...
See if you can put him in a pre-school program a few mornings a week.
LBC
Have you thought about having his cousins over without their mother? I'm sure she would appreciate a break from time to time while she cares for her newborn.
My daughter is in an early learning center, more structured with an age appropriate curriculum. It's the best thing I could have done for her. She's more focused, enjoys her peers, and looks forward to going (2 days/week). I'm seriously thinking about 3 days/week because I can tell she really misses the environment and another thing, she bores easily.
When she's not in school we attend library story time and playgroups, but it doesn't compare to a full structured day with her "friends" and teachers at school.
If you strongly consider a school environment, visit (w/ son) at least 3 to 5 reputable sites to observe, ask the questions that are really important to you. Communication is key!!!!!! If the schools/centers can provide you with a list of daily routines that will help with your questions. Of course they can't always follow it to the letter but at least there is a plan for development across the board.
Daycare for a 2 year old is just a lot of fun. Having been a teacher at La Petite Academy where they have age appropriate curriculum ( which for a two year old would be age appropriate story, some finger plays/songs) maybe an art project and some small group activities and supervised free play = ) Nothing scary about that! They do offer half day programs.
Or how about story time in the library?
Play ground, or look into some sort of Mommy and me group, eventually you will meet other moms and be able to set up play dates.
Also I know he is young but indoor gyms/ bounce houses are great for his age, they usually have an area for younger kids.
Lots of luck, its such a fun age! My youngest just turned 4 and I find I miss 2!!!
If you don't have to go to daycare then that's great but try to choose an alternative.
*How about playdates w/your friends' kids?
*How about a "mommy" group? You can sometimes find them hanging out at local parks
*Go to story time at the library to see if you can meet other moms w/kids
*Sign up for a local mommy & child class through your city hall or parks and recreation!
When my daughter was his age (shes 3 now) I would take her to the local library. Check it out and see if they have classes. Hers was called Rhyme Tyme. They would read stories and the kids interacted with the story and then they would do a craft together. They would also learn songs and they had a little play time before all of this started.
Daycare is a good idea also. You could send him for 2 hours a day or a couple of days a week. This way he could be with other kids without you and will make friends. My daughter is very shy around other ppl and it took her some time but she did very well and couldn't wait to go see her new friends.
You could also check to see if there is a mommy/baby playgroup in your area. This way you get to meet new ppl and your son can play with other kids.
Wish you lots of luck!
I would take my daughter at that age to the playground, the play area at the mall, and indoor play places, just so she could burn off some energy. We still do this on a regular basis (she's almost 4). Does your local school district have any programs for toddlers, like a Mommy and Me class or similar? Our school district has classes for families with young kids, a "pre-pre-school" class for 2 year olds they could go to once a week with a parent, then 3 and 4 year old preschool, etc. A gymnastics facility for kids near us offers play time type classes for 1 and 2 year olds as well. And the local library has toddler story time once a week.
Just some ideas - if you start investigating a little, you might be able to find some similar opportunities in your area.
You can do the little gym classes, a 2 day a week mother's day out program, most libraries have weekly toddler story/craft time, play at the park or a nice mall or Chick-fil-a play area. He is still very young though, don't worry there will be plenty of time for him to get social interaction.
When my son was that age we did a parent/tot class through the park district that met once a week. We also did a gym/art class at the YMCA that met once a week. Each were for about an hour.
Both classes were parent and child together. At that age the kids tend to play along side each other rather than playing together, but it's still so great to get them out and playing around other kids their age.
I also started a playgroup with 2 other moms I met through the park district. We took turns going to each other's houses for about 2 hours. So for a little while there we had something going on 3 mornings each week. It actually made it nice on the mornings we didn't have anything scheduled. For us, it was a very nice balance.
We ended up sending him to the preschool at the park district along with his 2 playgroup friends. It was a big step for him, but I know the social interation he had had helped and knowing 2 other kids helped. He loved preschool. He's starting prek in a few weeks ... my baby! (sniff, sniff)
Ha! Aren't we a pair?! My son is very social and doesn't have much interaction either :( We are moving next month and I looked into Pre-K classes and I can't wait to get him in there. It is in a sense like a daycare, but is more like school. It will be a nice break for me a few days out of the week since I also have a 9 month old. I just know he will love it. Another thing I was considering was those gym classes like Gymboree http://www.gymboreeclasses.com/index.jsp He just needs to be somewhere where he can release his energy and be the little social butterfly that he is. I'm keeping an eye on your post since I could use some more ideas myself ;) Good Luck!
You might be able to get him in a two year old's preschool class, or jsut some mommy and me type classes or playgroups where he can meet other kids and you can meet other moms. A great place to check is your local library, mine has storytime jsut for two year olds called terrific Two's, and free music and movement classes as well. Don't let religious differences scare you from making new friends, I spent most of my life as a religious minority in my communities and it was not a bad thing. I made many friends of other faiths (or totally non-religious) and I found that people of all faiths can be good or bad, it just depends on the PERSON, not the religion. If you are uncomfortable with talking about religion you can say so if the discussion heads that way, just a simple "I feel that my religious beliefs are very personal and I'd prefer not to share them" is perfectly acceptable. Then cheerfully change the subject! Best of luck to you!
definitely look for playgroups in your neighborhood, or maybe online, at meetup.com or type in moms groups. not sure how far you are from salt lake. but if you're close, there'll be tons of momy groups to join that you can find on line.
Check with your local parks & recreation booklet/web site for classes, they should offer fun music & other kid classes at reasonable fee. Also gymboree & my gym offer kid classes and you can usually try out the first one for free. If you live near a local zoo, sometimes they offer classes as well. Good luck!
