The other kinds of classes I have her in are drop in “gymnastics” classes but again these are free play, not directed at all. There are big mats and trampolines and things to climb on, different types of car toys too. But basically we go and i let her take the lead. What do you think of this type of class?

I’ve read that RIE suggests staying at home as much as possible – is that right? I always feel “bad” on days she doesn’t leave the house because I feel like it’s good for her to have a change of scenery. Any comments on this?

Thanks in advance!! And again, thank you for your blog! Can’t tell you how often I’m on your site!

typo… lifeguards need to change every 15 fifteen minutes

FYI, even an experienced swimmer (such as a 12 year old on a local team) can have a drowning incident. I just learned this summer that ‘drowning does not look like drowning (ie what we see in the movies)’. See the article http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/family/2013/06/rescuing_drowning_children_how_to_know_when_someone_is_in_trouble_in_the.html
Yes, you will always need to keep an eye on your child or know that the lifeguards change stations every 1 minutes. Look up another article there on why lifeguards need to change every 15 minutes (mental fatigue of looking constantly).
Sandi

Children have so many years of instruction ahead of them from Kindergarten onwards… Yes Janet this is exactly how I feel.

When my niece was 10 years old she told me, “Thank you for a great childhood. I was always so excited to come your house.”

I thought this was a little odd until I thought about it for awhile. Traditional school is stressful for children, even on a subconscious level. She suddenly had to grow up to deal with the demands of school and the stress. Her childhood in essence (at least during the school year) was over.

Yes, Shasta you are right. But at age two this is not age appropriate.

When a child learns through self directed activities to focus on an activity, then she is ready to try a class which she is interested in. At this point she will be willing and enjoy imitating and being an active participant in a class.

For those interested in classes that don’t stifle toddler creativity, I would like to highly recommend the Music Together program. Not sure if you’ve been to it, Janet? I’ve attended it with both my children when they were infants and toddlers, and I loved that the whole set-up was about offering a wide variety of music, with lots of activity–and leaving it up to the children to what extend they wanted to participate. The instructors were very explicit with us parents that we needed to just do our own thing, that we weren’t to take our children’s hands to clap, or make them sit down when they wandered off. Over time, the enthusiasm of the parents rubbed off, and the older toddlers (2-3 years) would suddenly join the movements, or begin hitting the drums, or start singing the songs.

Hi Amanda! I like the way this arrangement sounds. I’m glad they aren’t pushy. The way I see it, the ideal would be your little guy being interested in the lessons himself (and I realize this is an unpopular opinion), so I would take cues from him as much as possible. When children want the lessons, they learn quickly and almost effortlessly. If he is resistant, I would hold off for a bit. I understand the worry about safety, but the truth is — you will not be able to take your eyes off your son around water for at least a few more years. I’m not questioning your choices! But if you’re asking… I don’t see a reason to rush this and risk making swimming an unnecessarily unpleasant experience for him.