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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

5 year old daughter wants to quit gymnastics

12 replies

reatpette · 19/04/2012 18:13

My 5 year old daughter has really enjoy going to gymnastics for the past few months. But now she doesn?t want to go any more? I don?t want to force her, but its so beneficial for her... exercise and socialising and she really has fun. Its abit like when you hear kids stay 'I don?t want to go to school today', they have to go because its beneficial for them, but you don?t like forcing them.

What triggered it off was she had a bump on the head at school, so had a week off gymnastics, then a couple of weeks off for Easter. Should I make her go back?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Pascha · 19/04/2012 18:17

No. She doesn't want to. There are plenty of other things she could do instead.

CarpeJugulum · 19/04/2012 18:20

Bargin with her.

It may be the bump knocked her confidence.

Tell her that you want to be sure that she really doesn't like it, so will she go one last time. Warn the teacher so he/she can support your DD.

Then see how she feels.

EmmalinaC · 19/04/2012 18:22

We had a similar thing with ballet when DD1 was 5. We agreed that she would go back until half term and if she really wanted to quit then she could. She went back (slightly reluctantly), loved it again and has been happy ever since.

I wouldn't let her quit just like that unless there was some specific reason relating to the activity.

Original poster

reatpette · 19/04/2012 18:28

thanks guys, think i'll try one more time. If shes doesnt like it then we'll stop. thats one of my worrys EmmalinaC, I dont want teach her to give up so easy!

OP posts:

Tgger · 19/04/2012 22:37

Yes, I think you agree she does it for x amount of time then if she still doesn't want to she can stop. My DS has just stopped tennis after 2 terms. He said half way through last term he didn't want to do it so I got him to carry on till end of term (had paid up till then!) and then asked him again. He's only 5.5 and it was actually a real hassle to get there with his younger sister especially when he would rather be playing at home!

Kewcumber · 19/04/2012 22:39

My rule is always DS has to fo it for the term once signed up but can switch to something else the following term.

Portofino · 19/04/2012 22:46

Yes - it is a very important lesson that you persevere with things like this, especially girls imho. I should find a link to the pyschology...

startail · 19/04/2012 22:51

5 yearolds have to complain rather more strongly than that.

My much bigger DD had a moan about giving up gym. She's gone up a class and now loves it.

DCs get tired after school, bit they also get bored. I'd love to loose the chasing about, but I have no wish to listen to more CBBC!

lisad123 · 19/04/2012 22:54

Dd1 did this with ballet after two years. We gave it till half term as I had paid for it and then she dropped out after that.
She does complain about gymnastics now. It she has to go as her sister is in the class before, and by the time she's there she goes in happily.

MrsLetchlady · 19/04/2012 23:02

My DD2 occasionally does this with dancing.

I stole this idea from another person - but I always say to her, that if she wants to quit, then she needs to go to her last lesson, and then at the end she must hand back her ballet shoes (you could do leotard).

Whenever she comes out of class, she never wants to hand them over . Sometimes I think she can't be bothered to go, gets a bit tired etc... but when it comes to the end of the class, she has always enjoyed it.

It is worth testing (in some way) whether she really wants to give up, or whether it is just the idea of not going that she likes.

baffledbb · 19/04/2012 23:11

My daughter is similar, moans and groans about going but actually enjoys it when she is there. For her it seems like it is the process of getting there -getting ready, the journey to get there and so on- that she really dislikes.

I am persevering for now because I know that when i get her there she does enjoy it and I kind of think that I have the same sort of love hate thing with the gym/swimming pool/going for a walk - never really that keen to do it but usually I enjoy it when I make the effort.

Tgger · 20/04/2012 10:13

It's a balance. You don't have to watch CBBC you know. Yesterday DS invented a music club, put on a CD, got his sister to join in dancing and singing- oh yes they were both wearing witches hats, it was a Ghost Train CD. He then designed a poster for his music club and blu tacked it to the play room door. If we had been doing tennis this wouldn't have happened. I did watch the tennis and see him stomping around upset he couldn't hit the ball when the others could so it wasn't just he couldn't be bothered to go .

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