Is there anyone else out there.....

[Mad Scientist]

who is happy to let their pre-schoolers play without structured activities? I keep seeing all these people who spend time on teaching their 15 month olds how to write and read and do all these things that I never knew a 15 month old needed to do. I know I am a good mother. My daughters are well behaved, they are in the 'normal' development range and have amazing imaginations. But my 2.5 year old doesn't hold a pencil the right way.....and I'm ok with that. I have no desire to teach her the right way to hold a pencil just yet. She doesn't need to hold one properly yet.....does she???? Does this attitude make me a below par mother in today's society? I don't have a problem with anyone who wants to do the structured activities, so please don't take offence. I guess I just want to know if I'm the only one who feels this way........

[onthefly]

Um... yeah. You're not alone.
DS is too busy running around with his imaginary friends and stuff for me to do anything like that.

[Tinks]

I didn't do structured activities either.

[feeb]

I dont do anything structured!!

DS1 brings me a book if he wants it, or if he is playing with blocks we will do it together etc but nothing set.

Times I have set him up to draw or play doh he is not at all interested and wants down 5 mins after I set him up.

[boobaloo]

nothing structured here either, and my kids are very happy little monsters.
sometimes we'll do craft activities etc, but only whilst they're interested, i don't push anything onto them.
we spend a lot of time outside, i'm the mum who takes her kids out to see floods, play in the rain and mud, go walking through riverbeds etc. to me those things are the free, natural things that sparks their desire to learn more about the environment that we live in, but mostly just to have a $hiteload of fun, get dirty etc.
we read lots of books, sing lots of songs, and have heaps of fun.
sometimes i wonder if i should be doing more to extend their learning, but hey, you're a kid for such a short time, i want my kids to enjoy it.

[Mad Scientist]

sometimes i wonder if i should be doing more to extend their learning, but hey, you're a kid for such a short time, i want my kids to enjoy it.

exactly what I think boobaloo, but then sometimes some people make me feel like I'm disadvantaging my girls by taking this road.....

[*Belle*]

Our day is unstructured when we play at home, they play together and play with whatever they like (eg, dolls house, my little pony's, duplo, wooden toys, J (nearly 4) comes and asks me when she wants to do craft, or I suggest it or cooking for something different. They draw when they want to, they ask me to read to them whenever they want to. J has Kinder 2 days a week and a dance class on Thurs and swimming Fridays so I like it to be unstructured when shes at home.

[aussienic]

I am the same.. I let my kids play pretty much what they want. If they want to do drawing I set them up with pencils and paper. Sometimes I will sit with them. If my Ds3 asks me to help write something I will help but generally he seems to work it out for himself..

[black_rose]

We used to have a structured routine for dd1 when she was in a brace but that was because she needed the brace free time and it had to be used to strengthen her legs etc, this was from 8 weeks to 12 months and it took a little bit of time to break her free from the routines but now we follow her cues - cooking, play dough drawing or just cuddles.

[Fleur]

OMG no you are not alone. (with my older kids) yes we read books, we did drawings & writing etc but at their pace, what they wanted to do, how they wanted to do it...

I think it teaches them independence & creativity too. The last thing I want is to teach my kid that they 'must' do it this way you know? Part of learning is being independent & indidvidual IMO.

everyone is always going to have an opinion on how you should properly raise a child, but as long as i know that my children are happy, healthy and know that they are the most important people in my world, then i know that i will produce happy, well balanced adults. you have a lifetime to act like you have a rod up your ass, right now, i want them to be free and natural.

AWESOME boobaloo!