The Kinetic Child

[Eowyn]

I have one. Ian never. stops. moving. He turned four last month. He's always been this active. It's just that as he gets bigger (42 in. 45lbs) he gets harder to physically redirect, as he's quite strong.

He sleeps well, eats well, has predictable periods of activity and drowsiness. He's generally compliant but has specific age-related issues. It's too hot here to go outside (high humidity and temps of 103), but I notice he does better when he's had some outside time. He melts down about once every couple of days, and it's specifically related to hunger or tiredness,and he isn't destructive. When he's hungry or tired, he's practically incapable of listening. He still has the energy he has to get out, but he can't control it as well. When those two things are not an issue, he listens generally well with minor corrections here and there. He eats his 3 meals per day regularly, and will sit for those with minimal squirrelly stuff, and he will also sit and read with little movement. But when he's going, he's going.

We went up to his preschool a few days ago, to turn in some paperwork and meet his teacher. I watched him as he sat in a chair in the director's office while she and I chatted. He did a brilliant job of not messing with things he shouldn't, and he played nicely with the two cars I let him bring. But he did not stop moving. He changed positions in said chair every couple of seconds. He ran (then walked when reminded to use his walking feet) to the water fountain and back no less than 6 times. But he listened well--he was just active. The director said he would do great in their program (it's art-based and very creativity oriented, as well as very gross-motor involved), which relieved me. He's brilliant (proably just mommy-talk there :O). Very smart. He knew the make and model of every car on the road at age 2. He picks things up very quickly, and can put things he learns into their proper context.

So here's my question--what do I *do* with this kid? Give me ideas for days we can't get outside. What are some tricks for helping your constantly moving child control their arms and legs (not necessarily to hold still, just to channel into other things)? Do you find you have to do things differently discipline-wise with your active child? I'm thinking bear hugs and the like. :think

f this needs to go somewhere else, feel free to move it.

Mostly I just want Crystal, Kristin, or Joanne to follow me around for a day and tell me what, exactly, to do with him, as his mommy is also a kinetic/tactile learner. :giggle

[Aisling]

DD is the same way. She's going to make a great adult someday...she's so active and driven and independent. :yes

I just need to figure out how to firmly nudge her in the right direction without killing that strength! :popcorn

[klpmommy]

P is like that- he is totally in constant motion.

Inside- I don't know how big your house is- we play hide & seek, chase, simon says (which involves lots of jumping & spinning), dancing, making pillow mountains to climb (not so much now at nearly 5 as we did when he was younger). Also a bath helps a lot- we have a garden tub & both kids climb in & play with their dinos & "swim".

Also, if there are any indoor play areas (at a mall?) those help. Or we go to the store & the kids can run ahead of me- we play "freeze" & they know if they can't freeze when I say they have to ride in the cart. We don't go to crowded stores, btw.

Anyway, always :popcorn on stuff like this b/c our problem is the opposite - in the winter we can't go outside & the few inside places are too crowded for my comfort level.

[Eowyn]

I forgot to add, our house is small. And the play areas in town that aren't parks are in either McDonald's or laces that aren't free. Our mall doesn't have one. :no2

[hey mommy]

the trampoline has been my lifesaver!! Let me tell you, it's the best thing we've ever brought into this house! Don't know if that would work for you though.. Our 'formal dining room', which is attached to the living room, is where we put that stuff..

C is the same way. He's in constant motion. From the time he wakes up until he goes to sleep, something is always moving. Hands, feet, something.. He gets out of bed and heads straight for the trampoline now(which has saved my couch a tiny bit. He discovered quickly that he can move the trampoline close to the couch and jump from the back of the couch to the trampoline). In times where I need him to sit still, I give him something to color.. Or toys to play with. If the floor isn't nasty I'll let him get on the floor w/his toys.

I dunno. I don't have many ideas. LOL.. sorry..

[Eowyn]

Thanks, Janice! Some of the stuff you post about C sounds so much like Ian. :-) So is this a mini-trampoline? :think

[hey mommy]

It's an exercise trampoline that DH bought for me. He got it at Sports Chalet or something like that.. But any mini-trampoline would work.. Trust me, it's been THE best thing we have EVER bought. I'd say he spends 90% of his awake time at home jumping on/off it. He even watches TV while jumping.
It's this one, but I know they make smaller ones.. http://tinyurl.com/2t9jyq

Plus he is small enough to hide under it.. LOL

[Susan K]

I have a small townhouse and a high energy child. We have a hippity hop. I have him walk on his hands while I hold his feet .He hits a fake target with a soft ball .Leap frog down the hall way. Building toys like leggos helps to calm him down. If his mind is busy creating it calms his body down. On really hot days we go out for 10 to 15 minutes to get some energy out.
Susan

[KarenBoo]

Oh - is there a book on this??? DD is in constant motion. We have the little trampoline inside, and we recently were given an old trampoline for outside. My problem is that my energy level does not even compare to hers. She's always wanting me to do this or that with her, and I just can't keep up. (especially now that I'm pregnant) She also seems to do well on a lower amount of sleep than most of her peers. (I need more sleep than that!) I feel worn out a lot! And often, just being around all of that energy gets me worked up and annoyed. She's like a little mosquito! I can totally see this in DH as well, and he's always so willing to give her some good physical play at the end of his workday. :hearts

[Bonnie]

First, :hug s :giggle

Something that has made a difference with Nathan (who, while not dramatically kinetic, is four and very much so) has been a gymnastics class. Stay with me here...not a Gymboree-type thing (which, in addition to being prohibitively expensive, just wound him up and made him twitchy), but a designed-for-3's-and-4's kind of play-based introductory class run through an actual gymnasium. There's one here at the AF base, and it's amazing. They know they're dealing with preschoolers, and if they're just not havin' it, they take a water break and move on to something else. :giggle These kinds of classes - if not run as early competitive actual gymnastics, but just for movement and tumbling and basic introduction to the apparatus - serve three purposes (to me). 1. it's a great outlet for energy once a week (yay!) 2. it's a good introduction to more structured things, especially for kids who don't do full-time preschool and the like and 3. (and most relevant to this thread) it gives him something focused to do at home...like if Nathan is just out of his mind and we can't go play outside (tropical downpour, anyone?), I'll ask him about what he learned at Kidnastics last week and ask him to show me. We've got rubber mats in our playroom, or we'll just use their bed :shifty but rather than just running totally amok he has a repertoire of more controlled movements to run through. That has been wonderful - when I remember to take advantage of it.

I also second the bath thing, for the days when I'm not so strung out myself that I couldn't handle the potential water mess. :shifty

[hey mommy]

I second the gymanstics thing.. It was fun for us.. Except now it's an hour away and it's not even worth it b/c by the time we get down there he's a mess and tired and whatever..

And the hippity-hop thing is great too. we have one. When we first got it, he would wake up in the moring and get on it, then hop it into his bedroom at night.. He got off of it long enough to eat at the table and that was it.. He is still on it all the time(sometimes that and the trampoline at the same time. LOL)

[mamaKristin]

Ok, just catching up here. (not ignoring you, just trying to get some of our laundry mountain moved after being away)

We don't have a big house, and get house bound - just in the winter. Also no playgyms period here. Not even in the McD's. :no2 It's made me be more creative. Here are some of my ideas for what we have done.

- play circus. tape a 'tightrope' with masking tape and have him create and perform routines. throw in some good 'let's be a lion, now let's be elephants' play too and you are set.
- mini trampolines are GOLD. ours is very, very loved
- bilibo! We have 3 bilibo seats (www.bilibo.com) and we use them a lot. sit and spin, rocking to music and they make great additions to indoor obstacle courses. :tu
- I've even had my oldest do exercise videos with me. ;) I'll pop in a Walk away the Pounds, and he's often likely to do the whole 2 miles with me.
- indoor bowling is also fun. if you don't have a set, empty plastic pop bottles work great too. setting the 'pins' up is half the fun!

My son will often need to be moving while we read longer books together. If we are going to be doing some reading, I'll often give him one car to push around while he listens. That often helps him focus his body enough to listen.

hope that helps a bit!