extra curricular activities for my 3 year old

APREV1210

My son is 3 years old and goes to a special school full-time because he is very impulsive and hyper-active. But his teacher has been writing more negative things in his "communication notebook" as of lately such as being overly disruptive during activities. He also has some sensory issues which cause him to spin around alot and jump in place. Since it is too early to test for ADHD and to consider medication, the pediatrician had suggested starting him on an extracurricular activity, her example was Karate. I'm just not too sure if Karate would be the best idea since he is already somewhat rough with his peers (not intentionally but becuase he seeks the sensory input) My biggest issue is finding an actiity in which the people who run it are accepting of his special needs and willing to work through them.  Does anyone have any suggestions for a once a week type activity outside of school and home for my son? We are in the NYC Queens area.

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If you don't get responses here, try the special needs board.  I'm sure you'll get some repsonses there.

shouldbworkin

We honestly didn't do too much with DS at 3.  I think he was in ice skating class and that wore him out pretty well.  He didn't really need to listen too much to the teacher, they had lots of teachers and few kids in the class so he got a lot of individual attention.  He started soccer at 4, it was great for running him around all over the place.  He's in a sports class now where he learns a new sport every week.  I've seen classes like this with a parent and that would be good for a 3 y/o, I think.  The 1st 10 mins of class he is just running around burning off steam.  We also did swimming when he was 3, mostly just to get him used to being in the water vs. learning to swim. 

stillhoping

Have you tried gymnastics. And I would take him to a developmental ped. Is he receiving any therapies for the sensory issues, if not you may look into that as well.

Chrisy-Wyobride

I think gymnastics would be good.  Also swimming but I'd advise private lessons (or you or your DH take him).  I wouldn't think Karate would be a good one for him due to the emphasis on following directions, discipline & physical contact.

marchbaby

My son has no attention span and can be crazy.  I have been thinking of doing Karate b/c its supposed to teach focus, control etc.  I don't think it is centered around chopping each other, I think they are more focused on being in control of yourself and the actual skills.  I havne't done it yet though so I can't say if it helps

I did try my son in a sports class, he hated it and would not participate.  I think he was overwhelmed with all the kids, the coaches, the yelling for drills etc.  We did swimming last winter and he loved that, I may start him up again with that soon.  I think he did better with that b/c the class sizes are smaller and of course he loves the water

amiamish

I think Karate would be good, it would teach them discipline, and to control their emotions.

DH was very hyperactive/ADHD as a child (and still is!) his mom said putting him in tae kow do was the best thing for him. I think he was about 4 or 5 though.

APREV1210

Hi thanks for the feedback. Yes my son has been receiving services actually since he was about 6 months old and is still receiving O.T. and P.T. We have a pool in our yard but its difficult now being winter and all. We took him to a gymnastics birthday party one and it went awful. He had a hard time waiting his turn on line for things and the staff was obviously not trained in handling children with these issues. I found a Tae Kwon Doe place in Manhattan that works with kids who have ADD/ADHD/Sensory issues but it is so expensive I don't think we'll be able to afford it every month, so I guess I'll just have to ask his school who they recommend.

shouldbworkin

APREV1210:

Hi thanks for the feedback. Yes my son has been receiving services actually since he was about 6 months old and is still receiving O.T. and P.T. We have a pool in our yard but its difficult now being winter and all. We took him to a gymnastics birthday party one and it went awful. He had a hard time waiting his turn on line for things and the staff was obviously not trained in handling children with these issues. I found a Tae Kwon Doe place in Manhattan that works with kids who have ADD/ADHD/Sensory issues but it is so expensive I don't think we'll be able to afford it every month, so I guess I'll just have to ask his school who they recommend.

For now, I would stick to classes where the child works mostly with the parent and there is a lot of activity.  I liked parent/tot soccer and parent/tot sports class for that reason.  Or activities where kids can get a lot of individual attention, like a private/semi private swim class.