Toddler Behaviour and Activities

[MomFromCanada]

Hi,
My dd is 3.5 yo, we just moved from PEI to Ontario on Sept 1. I have tried hard to get my dd involved in activities to meet others and so far she seems to be enjoying her new house. The thing is we haven't as yet really met many friends (esp. my dd's age) to hang out with, and so when my dd and I are at home, we don't have a lot to do, and she has been just wanting to watch TV when she is idle. I have tried various things at home like the park, playing in the yard, doing "school-like" activities (e.g. writing her name, etc.), playdough, colouring, etc. She doesn't seem too interested to do these things. Any suggestions on things I can do with her at home and on that sort of same topic, her behaviour lately has not been wonderful either (which I somewhat expected because we moved). She has been manipulative, and very difficult to handle. I am finding this very difficult because my dh is at school full time and so it is a lot of time where it is just me and her. It is beginning to wear on me, and I don't know what to do about it. Thanks in advance.

[kalihi76]

Is there a local pool? That's always fun to get out & go swimming - maybe join a mommy & me class there to meet other moms?
Have you visited churches yet? Mops? Is there other kids at the park when you go?
I'd try to stay outside playing as much as possible , especially before winter, when you both will REALLY feel cooped up! And I'll be praying you find some friends before then too!

[irishmum2boys]

Kahlihi gave some great ideas. I am also wondering if the college that your dh attends has a group for married students, maybe that would be a way for you to connect with other students who are in a similar position. WHen I was at college I used to work in the nursery , one day a week the married students wives met together for a couple hours on a Tues. am and so the moms got to go and meet other ladies and the kids stayed and played with us!

Mops is a great idea, you can look at their website www.mops.org (http://www.mops.org) to see if a group meets in your area?

Do you have a ymca in your area? Those offer some great activities. Also sometimes if you google playgrous in your area you may find there are a group of moms who meet together regularly in your area.

When we moved here I went to the park a lot and 2 of my good freinds here moms I met at the park :)

Pryiang for you and your dd and your adjustement!! By the way how is your dh liking seminary?

[breezykc2]

MOPS, local play groups for stay at home Moms (try meetup.com that lists playgroups and local groups with special interests that you can get in contact with!)--sometimes churches set these up too or your local school system knows of great early resources to network...
Also, my son at that age really loved to pass time at home learning to cook together! We got one of those kid's safe cookbooks and tackled a new project all the time! Kind of messy, but you can pick out a recipe the day before and shop for the ingredients and then go for it!
Also, for cold weather activity coming up, maybe a local dance/ballet class to meet girls her age or your local community center may have some inexpensive and fun units to do for that age group to meet others close in that same age group!

Good luck, it is SOOO hard to re-network and establish new contacts and friendships! We've been here 5 years now and I am STILL sorely lacking! ;-)

[cjropher]

Those are great ideas. Sounds a bit like withdrawal from TV too. We all can be so passive in front of the TV and then to expect some sort of interaction, it can be hard and we all like easy things. Keep up with it, doing those activities and even telling her that she has to play by herself for periods of time. I've heard it said that kids have to learn to play. I've seen it in mine.

[kim]

That was honestly one of my biggest challenges when I moved to Ontario. I finally found out about Ontario Early Years Centers. Basically they are drop in centers (I believe all are free, unless you utilize the babysitting) where you can go and dd can play. There are always other kids/moms there. Preschool type setup in terms of different areas for crafts, imaginative play, puzzles, etc. Some are better than others, so if you go to one location and it is not wonderful, check out another. They sometimes offer free programs too. Here is the website for you to find one in your area :
http://www.gov.on.ca/children/oeyc/en/index.html
Just click on locations to put in your postal code. (It is a bit down the page, blue word in the middle of a paragraph...kind of a weird link to find.)

Check out parks and rec too...in Toronto they had quite a handful of free programs that kids could be signed up for. Both parented and non parented. Maybe that is the case where you are too.

Libraries often have decent, free programs too. I utilized those a lot when dh was in school.

HTH

[MomFromCanada]

Thank you all for your responses.
First of all I must say that it is definitely a culture shock from small PEI to big "Tri-City" in Ontario. Dh is really enjoying his studies. Some of the books I am glad he has to read, not me! :)
We are settling in, and have gone to the nearby pool, library, and dd is signed up for dance and cooking class. Our Church has a Mom & Tots group on Fridays. I am debating on whether or not to sign her up for preschool one afternoon a week. What do y'all think?
We have gone to the park also, and have found a nearby Ontario Early Years Centre. It is wonderful with lots of programs. I even signed up for yoga in the evenings! I have met some new Moms through an on line group too.
I guess I am not being patient enough with meeting new people. I think our dd is just reacting out of what happened. We are trying to keep her still connected to her friends via phone calls, web cam, pictures, etc. She seems to be going through a phase where she is really defiant. I am finding this really challenging.

[kim]

It sounds like you are off to a great start! And yes, meeting people takes time. It'll come - I promise! :D As for preschool, we just started ds (3.5) at one here two mornings a week and he is LOVING it! I guess what you need to consider is if she still seems to need something else on top of her other two classes. Keeping her busy during this transition time might be good.