https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 26 May 2026 16:41:41 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1925905 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 05:53:35 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1925905@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NurseDMB: very good point! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1925878 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 02:44:11 +0000 shopaholic 1925878@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>does not happen at the library. torture. I'll take her to the ones at PBK or LoN once in awhile, but she won't sit in my lap. Wont sit in a chair for longer than a few minutes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1925874 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 02:30:04 +0000 NurseDMB 1925874@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Btw, I know how it feels when you feel your kid is the only one not sitting still. But then I realized the parents whose kids were doing the same as mine probably stopped going, so of course all I see when we go are toddlers who are able to sit still on their moms lap. My kid just isn't one of those! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1925873 Sun, 02 Nov 2014 02:28:24 +0000 NurseDMB 1925873@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I stopped going to storytime at the library for this reason. My son is only 15 months but he's fine at home when I read him books. But the times I have taken him to the library, it's been a disaster. Running around trying to open doors, take books off shelves, screaming when I try to bring him back to the group. It's not worth it bringing him anymore because it just stresses both of us out. I will wait until he's older.</p> <p>I take him to a MyGym class and he likes that MUCH better! He still doesn't tolerate the 5 minute circle time there on most days, he's a wiggle worm and explorer and constantly active. The other day he sat for most of the circle time and I was shocked. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893930 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:21:47 +0000 cmomma17 1893930@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: No suggestions, just commiseration? I tried to take my 17 month old to a hawk and owl presentation at a fall festival this past Saturday. Thought he would LOVE it. He was a wild animal and just wanted to run up and down the sidewalks (it was outside of a shop). Big FAIL.<br /> We've only been to the library once so far and he ran in circles, did some yelling, stared at people and threw books. And I swear, he's a well behaved kid! I won't try story time anytime soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893910 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:13:15 +0000 Mrs. Deer 1893910@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: our library's story time (birth-2) totally allows kids to get up. I think most end up standing closer to the reader, dancing around, singing... Is there maybe another place you could try? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893900 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:08:51 +0000 mrs. bird 1893900@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: does it help if he has something small and quiet he can hold? I've found some kiddos can sit better if they have an object they can fidget with, but it's less disruptive to the other kids than standing up and moving about. Do they sit on a mat or anything? Sometimes having a defined place for them to stay helps them stay in place, you could even bring a washcloth or small blanket to sit in, bonus- they can fidget quietly with it. Really I think most adults are just unreasonable about their expectations of children to sit still, it would be nice if those leading story hours and such could realize children are meant to be moving, it's not something to be frowned upon. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893891 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:03:12 +0000 illumina 1893891@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: There definitely have been times when I've considered not going anymore...sometimes we take a break for a couple of weeks if we had a particularly bad week! But I believe that it's how they learn to behave in different situations. Could you find a different library to go to? Maybe it's more normal for LO's to be up and about at a different one. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893888 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:01:14 +0000 looch 1893888@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's okay not to go to story time at the library if your kid can't sit through it. Mine couldn't and I didn't feel the need to put my stress on display for everyone else. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893887 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:00:18 +0000 BandDmommy 1893887@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: I could have written this post. We avoid story time at the library for this very reason. LO is 2 years old and a wiggle worm. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893880 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:56:05 +0000 travelgirl1 1893880@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think the adults leading that class have unrealistic expectations, to be honest. Young kids just don't sit still, especially when there are other kids to play with. I take LO to a drop-in playgroup with circle time most days and the teacher always makes a point to say don't worry about the kids running around and not sitting nicely, they're little, that's what they do. She recommends modelling the behaviour so they learn by watching mummy. So that's what I do, while my kid climbs the walls I sit and sing all by myself and feel a bit weird, but when we get home A requests certain songs and knows the actions so she IS taking it in. We used to go to a toddler storytime and ALL the kids were at the front jumping up and down. It's just what they do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893876 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:52:58 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1893876@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Im glad im not the only one! The class is a lot of puppets, some songs, and the stories are very short...but the kids all stay wiht their parents and stay uiet...and lo wont do either of those things haha. I wouldnt mind if he would just stand by me, but he wants to run to the front and climb on the stage where all the puppets and books etc. are. We definitely dont sit in a circle...there are probably 25 kids with their parents in any given storytime and they range from 12 ish months to 3. Guess we will just have to wait until he is older...i just wonder whether he needs exposure to that type of thing to get the idea of how its supposed to work? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893872 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:50:16 +0000 fancyfunction 1893872@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our library story time is only about 25 min long for this reason - the kids are at the age where they can't (and shouldn't be required to) sit still that long. M (21 months) will sit in my lap for a bit but she likes to stand and dance along to the songs they sing. She wanders a bit and goes up to the librarian reading the stories but so do the other kids - and she only tells them to sit if they get rowdy or start to really wander away. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893862 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:44:34 +0000 Sparkler 1893862@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our story time is completely different. It's one story and the rest of the hour is songs and interaction. 90% of the kids are dancing at the front of the room checking out instruments, puppets, etc. I don't think that self control is realistic until 3 when children are really able to control their bodies and follow directions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893859 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:43:15 +0000 illumina 1893859@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How old are the other kids in the room? Similar age? LO (almost 13 months) acts pretty much the same...can't sit still, won't sit on my lap for a second etc. but so do all of the other 12-18 month olds there...so it's accepted and we all just try and stop them escaping the circle, or keep them distracted with a book of their own right in front of them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893854 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:40:39 +0000 hilsy85 1893854@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There is NO WAY I would go to a class where kids are required to sit in laps for the whole time. My LO is just not capable of that and it would be an exercise in frustration for both him and me. So I just wouldn't go. </p> <p>My LO sounds similar to yours in that he spends his music class literally running in circles around the room :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/active-young-toddlers-and-storytime#post-1893849 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:38:29 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1893849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My lo is not the type to sit still. He will sit in my lap and listen to stories for maybe 30ish minutes, but when there are other things going on, forget about it. He is incredibly outgoing and wants to be involved.</p> <p>We have tried to go to library storytimes many times, but every time he is so excited and wants to be up front in the action (which is against the rules). He hates sitting in my lap for things like this, and we never make it more than 5 minutes before he is screaming at the top of his lungs to get up and we have to leave.</p> <p>Anybody else have this problem? Will he outgrow it? Do i need to try to force it to work so that he will learn? When i was a toddler teacher, circle time was optional and the kids could come and go as they were interested, and they were all up close to the teacher...this "watch the lady on the stage with all the really cool stuff" is just not working...but he seems to be the only kid in the room that has this problem. He is like this in the music class we go to too, but that is a more movement oriented class, so it doesnt matter as mich that he wants to stand in the middle of the circle...</p> <p>Any suggestions? </p>