My Toddler / Preschooler is Acting Out in Ways They Never Did Before Quarantine...
I have been trying to create these very real, but useful activity videos for you guys every morning so that you have something you can check out to orient your kids at the start of the day on @theindylab’s IGTV account. Rey, my daughter, has been acting so sweetly and engaging during them. I thought, wow, this is really good for her. She needs this. Then after about a week, she started telling me “no” constantly, grabbing the phone and screaming at me at the top of her lungs. Yes, it’s developmentally normal, but also whoa. Where did this child come from? I thought we were having a good time! I thought I was doing something that was feeding her need for structure, certainty, and learning. It bothered me that she wasn’t into it. But as I took a step back, I realized that it’s more than that.
She has no idea what is going on, like, EVER. Similar to us! She is completely blindsided by when we do our Morning Meeting, when we don’t, why we read a book or sing a song sometimes, why we don’t, and why we’re all around all the time. This kid has been used to going to daycare since she was 6 months old. She has no idea what is happening now. Today, she mentioned her daycare pals during our Morning Meeting video. It’s like she was asking me, “What the heck, where are those guys?” It kills me that she can’t be in school learning with them.
But I realized the one thing I can do for her is just to talk about our schedule that day and the transitions throughout it.
Many people function well by writing down their specific schedules and routines, but you don’t have to go that far if it’s too much to do. Especially for a child that can’t follow along with that many steps all at once. You just have to talk about them and they will perk up to listen. So I started that today. I told her, “Okay, now we’re done with Morning Meeting and you’re going to go play downstairs with grandma. Then, you can make a smoothie with her and we will go for a walk.” It’s that simple.
Repetition.
The narration of the schedule.
Trying to stick to a similar routine every day for them (and for you!) and transitioning becomes easier.
This should reduce those tantrums and screams. At least, I hope.
Let me know how it goes for you and we will troubleshoot!