Our 7 Acres

Creating a toddler/preschooler schedule

Our youngest, who is 3.5, is exhibiting some challenges we are trying to conquer.  He does not like to sit still, can get very frustrated, whines, throws tantrums and is very stubborn.  He can also be very sweet, loving and compassionate.  We took him to a free screening and they referred us to a pediatrician, who diagnosed him with ADD/ADHD.  Many people and websites agree that 3 is too young to label him as ADD, and we do hope we can work through some of these tendencies and help him learn strategies to be successful in school.  We do not want to medicate a 3 year old, especially one that is not in school yet.  I'll write about some strategies we try, and would love to hear from you as well.  Post a comment if you deal with some of the same issues.  I am hoping that before he is enrolled in preschool in August that he can sit still and listen to directions and participate with the class.

Our first strategy, was to create a schedule for our day.  I had him sit down with me and help develop the schedule.  We make time for "school" so he can learn to sit and listen, plenty of time for play, craft projects (he is left handed and is struggling with scissors), reading, weather permitting outdoor play and the all important nap time!  We printed it off and he refers to it several times a day to see what is coming next.  The pediatrician recommended that if we kept a more structured environment and he was informed what was to happen next we could be on the road to the right track. 

Here is the schedule we developed: