behavior issue for 3.5 year old

[cheyanne12]

I've been taking my son to storytime where they will read about three books, then color and get a snack. However they have Thomas the train set up which I allowed him to play with last week. This week when we walked in he said he wanted to play with Thomas the train, but I thought storytime would be starting soon enough so I told him first storytime. Anyway storytime didn't start right away, he had been socializing and touching books with sound on the racks and talking to a new little guy there. Anyway, when storytime started he would not sit down for me... so I moved closer to the story thinking he might not be able to see the story. Then he thrusted himself upwards off of my lap and rolled onto the floor. At that point I felt his mind was set on trains and he would only continue to fight me.

Last week he sat through three books, but I'm not seeing a consistent pattern. Seems to change from week to week and he certainly is stubborn.

After playing trains I told him we should go and color and get our cookie.... but colored for a few minutes and then threw his crayon. By the third flung crayon, I said no more and he's done.

I guess my question is what do you do with a child who is thrashing around? He isn't in preschool and I'm wondering what the teachers would do in such a situation. Should I have just left all together? I'm now thinking that maybe I should have said NO TRAIN. I guess I'm afraid that giving into stubborn behavior just means I'm going to get more next time. HELP! LOL Ideas anyone?

[Chris too]

Maybe he didn't like the story. In my experience pre-schoolers are wiggly, and unless there is something engaging to keep their attention, they will wander off, or rocket into space at the first opportunity. I'd probably just leave if it was clear that he was not going to participate, and try again next time. You would do well, too, to remind him of the rules before entering: "No trains until after the storytime" Then stick to it. If you have to leave early because he doesn't want to sit still for the story, just get up and leave with him (no emotion), and once you are out of there, say "maybe next time you will sit still so that you can play with the trains" - again, no emotion, just matter-of-fact.

Chris too

[cheyanne12]

I did tell him that we listen to story first and then trains, but with the delay in the story beginning, and then meeting a new little friend who was looking at books with him. He may have forgotten what I said and lo and behold the story began.

Thanks so much Chris for your feedback. It's been awhile since I had a toddler, and I don't believe any of my kids were quite as stubborn as our Noah is. Noah will also go to scratch our faces, arms or even pull my hair when I go to pick him up when he is not ready to leave. I know our little Noah is going to teach us A LOT as he grows.