To ask when you stopped going to toddler groups and classes?

[Inthemidstofamist]

DS is 3, feel he may be getting a bit old … when did you stop going?

There’s no tumble tots, baby ballet, rugby tots, football classes, music classes, toddler gymnastics, diddi dance, toddler swimming, hartbeeps, nothing at all aimed at 3-4 year olds in your area?!

At 3 my DS was doing gymnastics, swimming, tots tennis, tots rugby and tots football- they'll be loads! Check your local leisure centres etc

Me too.
I miss morning toddlers group then home for a nap and lunch.
I would do it again in a heartbeat ❤️

He does swimming and football but that’s at the weekend! So have to work out the week. It’s tricky as he has a six month old sister and it’s nice when I can take them both to something but they’re at a funny stage just at the moment. I have two days when he’s in nursery I can do ‘baby’ things but am sort of wanting to hold onto the baby days and also don’t want to bore him. He would enjoy Tumbletots I think but unfortunately it’s a good half hour away to the nearest one.

tumble tots - no, it’s half an hour away
baby ballet - he wouldn’t really be interested
rugby tots - no, I did look into this as I think he’d like it but no
football classes - goes on a Sunday
music classes - not for three to four year olds. A few music and movement but very one to two year old based
toddler gymnastics - not that I know of
diddi dance - have never seen it
toddler swimming - goes on a Saturday
hartbeeps - have never heard of this

nothing at all aimed at 3-4 year olds in your area?! - there are a few groups aimed at 0-5 but really the prime audience is 18 months to two and a half and he is outgrowing them. Hence my asking on here

When DS went to nursery and I went to work - around 3 months. I made it to three baby massage sessions and one baby group. I don't think I wanted to do more.

Where do you live? Perhaps someone local might be able to suggest groups aimed more specifically at older preschoolers, I agree 0-5 is a wide age range and the ones at the top aren’t likely to get as much out of it.

the ones I mentioned were just franchises we have near here, I’m sure there must be similar ones near you. Re toddler gymnastics, this is usually at the proper gyms older kids go to and not as widely advertised as things like tumble tots and rugby tots, so might be worth contacting the gyms directly and seeing what they offer for preschoolers. They’re bound to do classes as they like to hook people in early!!

When my daughter was 2 but that’s because I felt the particular class wasn’t suited to her, too much sitting and listening when she wanted to go off and play
Recently started taking her to football and ballet though if that counts as a toddler class

Same!!

DC1 continued going to 4 classes until she started school - a Kodaly music class, a yoga class, parent & child gymnastics and parent & child swimming. They were all aimed at 3-4 year olds so were more appropriate than a general under-5s group. She went to nursery 3 days from age 2.5, so we stopped most general toddler classes by then (not because she was bored of them, but because we had less time to fill so chose the ones that she got most benefit from).

Why no to rugby? It is by far the best thing my daughter ever did. She was never good, but it didn’t matter. The camaraderie was amazing and it taught her so much!

Yeah, gymnastics at a proper club was the other thing my dd did that was truly
beneficial. They picked up on my child’s gross motor skills delay before anyone else did, and worked really hard with her to help overcome it.

why no to rugby because there aren’t any rugby classes! I did look into it, as I say above as I think he’d enjoy it, but no, nothing. I’ll have a look and see if anything is advertised.

What about simple playgroups? Those were the ones we loved the best. Toys everywhere. Ride on cars. Loads of kids. Mostly in church halls run by old ladies. You get to drink tea and chat while the kids run round with their pals

I loved these too but in my area at least, all the 3-4 year olds were in preschool so my kids stopped wanting to go because the toys were more for babies/toddlers and there weren't many kids their age.

When they turned 3 both of mine went to pre-school/nursery in the mornings so all the morning activities (playgroups, toddler swimming, library sing songs and tumbletots) stopped. The only activities we did in the afternoons were park or soft play so they carried on after starting pre-school.
At 3 they both progressed to swimming lessons which we did on Sat mornings - DS stopped that at aged 7 and moved on to football. DD still has swimming lessons at aged 9 on Saturday morning and she’ll continue for as long as she wants to.

Those sort of playgroups are definitely more baby / toddler aimed I’d say. I’ll look round and see if there’s anything he might enjoy.

I have the same issue, my son was 4 in October so he is always the oldest at toddler groups and they are definitley more set up for babies and toddlers. The problem with classes others have suggested are they are not cheap and you have to pay monthly. Sometimes you don’t want to go to the same thing every week. The £2 playgroups were perfect when mine were little but it is hard finding something suitable as they get older. Museums/libraries can be good but I’m just waiting for the weather to get warmer now so we can get outside!

Never went to any with my younger two, I had them very close together and did go to one but it was awful so never went again. Found a nice one with my eldest which we went to on and off until he was about 18 months.

Yes, I’ve never gone regularly to the free sorts of playgroups but at a loose end this morning!

When they start doing other things to entertain them ie preschool/school. Although it's half term here and the baby gym we used to go to is doing a session for up to 7 years old so might go to that this week.

There's always soft play

I would say that from around 3.5 years they can outgrow some groups.
In the year before starting school, I have found that some children can start to dislike toddler group, even if their younger sibling likes it.

Some things they do still like... forest school group. Playgym (large indoor gymnastics, with bouncy castle, pit, balancing beams, generally a place to charge around). Local science centre. Swimming (leisure pool, with slides). Walks in the woods and climbing trees. Going on a train/bus. Softplay. Petting Farm. Chessington World of Adventures & Legoland (annual pass).

😱

I do struggle a bit at soft play with two. It’s doable but not especially enjoyable and definitely not for three mornings a week every week!