Toddler misbehaving in groups

[Hickorysticks]

Hi, I'm looking for advice on how to manage my toddler's behaviour in toddler classes. She's just turned 2, and is quite a handful. She's very physically and verbally able for her age. Her behaviour is manageable at home and she can generally be distracted from bad behaviour. Out and about she is good on the whole - she'll hold my hand, leave the park when it's time to go etc. But when we attend toddler classes her behaviour transforms and she runs riot. She refuses to follow any instruction, doesn't join in with opening/closing songs, runs away from me and screams if I try to pick her up, direct her or hold her hand.

She doesn't go to nursery so attending groups and classes is important, and she has been doing so regularly since she was six weeks old. So it's not a new environment, but recently her behaviour is getting to the point that I feel embarrassed to take her to classes. I get looks from others and genuinely feel at a loss - I try to keep her under control, but I also don't want to raise my voice at her, especially, in public. When she has become too much, I do remove her from the room/hall etc. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

She’s still really little, honestly I would just take a break from anything formal or structured for a couple of months and go to soft play or the park and then reassess. There’s zero point trying to force it. No benefit whatsoever to anyone.

I didn’t take my two year old to things neither of us enjoyed. Why do they need to? When he was a baby I took him to book bug at the library. As soon as he could walk he made it well known that he didn’t want to be there so I took him where he did want to be: outdoors.

He started nursery at 3 and copes absolutely fine with the routines and expectations there. My rule remains the same in our own free time: we only do the things we enjoy. Your child doesn’t want to sit and sing songs so why force her? She’s only 2. Honestly, you’re just creating unnecessary stress.

They’re only little for a short period of time. Forget the singing groups and just take her to the park or the woods and have fun together.

@FanofLeaves @Somehowgirl Thank you both for your advice. These classes that we go to are often physical classes, just with a structured opening and close. But I take what you're both saying on board about parking it for a while and doing something else until she's a bit older. I just worry that because she's not in nursery, she needs to be around other children in classes/playgroups. Perhaps I'm over thinking things.

That’s true but at only just two, she doesn’t actively NEED to be around other children specifically, but you can still introduce/reinforce turn taking and sharing equipment etc in the park or at soft play. Then at 2.5 or so try again with a playgroup or a group type activity.

Personally I would say that two is far too young to be attending ballet classes. Both my DDs started age four. DD2 was pretty rambunctious so I took her out pretty quickly. It’s a discipline … and not for all children. She rejoined at six but got nothing from it … age fifteen, she wants to be an engineer.