3 year old boy - Is this normal behaviour?

[Carly3869]

I felt the need to ask all you lot if my son is normal, he has just turned 3. Right, for instance I get his colouring box out and paper and start colouring to show him what to do, not interested, tips out crayons, puts on his head, kicks them all over floor! Same with duplo, his kitchen accessories etc etc! Not actually playing, just trashing!! I'm very patient with him and say let's clear up but he will not help and just goes to trash something else! It's also the same with books, no patience or concentration, just flicks through it and then chucks it! Any replies welcome, thanks

They're all different IMO. I have 3 boys; the eldest is nearly 7. At 3 he was totally uninterested in colouring, duplo etc. He was far more into playgrounds, being out doors, his scooter and charging about. He's nowadays about football and a total book worm but in terms of colouring / drawing etc he still isn't interested! He's very good at maths though.

My nearly 4 year old son on the other hand, is mad keen on Lego, drawing and colouring! He'd far rather stay at home and play or do crafty stuff rather than go to the park. Don't fret too much, work out what your DS enjoys and do more of that! HTH

Sounds about right. Just pushing boundaries I think to see what he can get away with.

Maybe try doing structured things - can you colour that car red - rather than letting him generally have a go.

My son two weeks away from his third birthday. He has no concept of imaginative play and doesn't draw or paint even when encouraged to do so. He loves tractors and will lie on the floor watching the wheels go round for hours. He does like books and stories but fixes on the same books and will memorise the story and goes mad if u skip a page. He has v v v limited speech and his understanding of language is low too. He is being assessed for ASD. Does ur wee son talk or have any sensory issues?
(Sorry for rushed reply)

Does he spend any time in childcare settings, toddler groups, etc? Has he seen how other children play?

My toddler plays by copying his big brother. He picks up games at pre-school.

Have you had his eyes tested? I used to teach a boy who was a bit like this and it turned out he had awful eyesight and could barely see a thing.

Thanks for all those quick replies! His speech is a little behind but I see improvement every day so not worried out that. He doesn't start preschool until January so is always with me, I do take him to the park, soft play and children's centre but he wants to play on his own. He does have a problem with his ears and has been referred to an audiologist next month, he can hear very quiet noises but freaks out at say a motorbike riding past or if you praise him and change your tone. He enjoys his wooden train set but also trashes that if a train derails! I guess I'm trying to prepare him for school, teaching him letters and numbers whilst colouring but maybe I'll stick to the iPad app as he will play that for hours, I'm sure he must be learning something from it. I will look into getting his eyes tested, I'm not sure how they do it for a stroppy three year old but we'll see!

Ds has very little interest in writing, drawing or colouring. But give him an object to lob, kick or jump off and he excels. He does however have concentration for things that interest him. Cog s and pulleys, buttons, levers, watching how things work etc. And he will play with play do and trains for hours. He's 3 too and a whole world away from my dniece - boisterous in a word! Does your ds have any concentration for anything in particular that he likes doing?

Thanks Matana - Yes he does when it's of interest to him - My son is also very into how things work, wheels, keys, doors on toy cars etc, I usually find him with his toy screwdriver trying to undo things! He must just like boys things and I just don't get it! He is very good with his hands, threading beads etc so I'm sure it will come in time like everything but I just don't want him to be behind when starting preschool! I guess we'll stick to his favourite things of standing at the bathroom sink playing with water and jumping in muddy puddles

I have 3 boys and my youngest is nearly 3. How much do you let him take the lead - instead of getting out crayons for him to dray, let him choose an activity and work on that?
My middle boy is very sensitive to noise but can make a heck of a lot of noise himself! Other times he will have his hands over his ears and burst into tears if he hears a particular noise. He was very active at this age and needed to be out and about and busy all the time. He is the youngest in his year, just started full time school and thriving.

Be careful about too much time on the ipad - a friend's child has just been given glasses and the optician recommended no more than 1/2hr on the ipad and suggested that spending too long on it may have resulted in this child needing glasses.

No words of advice from me, its just really assuring to read that this is happening to simebody else too. My 3 year old son is exactly the same. His speech is behind compared to other his age but like you there are definite improvements so I'm not too worried. He only has patience when it comes to something he wants to do. He started nursery in September and while the other children seem excited and want to play with him, he tends to shy away and goes into a bit of a 'sulk', unless it involves running round chasing someone. I think as parents, even if we don't mean to, we see other children and wonder why ours are not as well behaved or advanced, doing the same things etc. Rest assured though you are not the only one going through it, even if most times that's how it seems!!