C.P.
Our 4.5 year old just started pre-k for the first time this past September. What an adjustment! He's never left home or been part of a group setting before with that kind of expectation. The first week or two I don't think he participated much at all. He just wanted to do his own thing. We were worried at first, but it didn't take him long at all to become very engaged in group activities. He's normally not a shy kid, but for some reason he didn't want to follow instructions like every other kid either! Now, though, he's doing really, really well in pre-k. We're still having some issues getting him to follow directions at soccer, but that only meets once a week, he was sick a few weeks... so I think it just takes time for them to get the hang of what's going on. I know some kids just follow right along with whatever is going on... well not our very independent boy! There's light at the end of the tunnel. Don't worry about it. The teachers have seen every kind of behavior. Ours realized right away that our son is really bright but that he just needed some time to adjust. They are well equipped to handle this kind of thing, thank goodness! I'm sure your son will be fine, too. Is he in pre-k? If not, I would definitely get him enrolled in some classes of any kind where you drop him off and leave for a while, even an hour or two. They behave differently when the parents aren't around.