No Running Help

[countrymom]

I have a dcb who is 3.5yrs old, all he does is run, (I'll post about this family in a minute) none of the other kids do, but the minute he comes they all do, it drives me crazy. I need to fix it.

[Country Kids]

Originally Posted by countrymom

I have a dcb who is 3.5yrs old, all he does is run, (I'll post about this family in a minute) none of the other kids do, but the minute he comes they all do, it drives me crazy. I need to fix it.

Me too!!!! I would so love some ideas as this is one of the "retrainable" things I was talking about yesterday in my post. Every single day this happens even when they have been here a year+, you would think they would get it. Like its their first day and they don't understand you don't run in the house.

[MrsB]

I have alot of the same problems here too. I feel like I retrain. I used to think it was unconcious thing they didnt realize it. Then I realized, for the most part, I had them walking everywhere. Then, mom/dad would show up and off to the races they went. So now at pickup and drop off I have my foyer fenced off with the octagonal play yard fencing. Just enough room to put shoes and coats on. No room for running!

I do lots of, go back and practice walking. Lots of praise for walking seems to cut down on the running. Monday mornings and excitable times are always the worst though.

[makap]

I have one who does this as well. he is 2.5. I honestly think he may be ADHD. He does get them all going. The days he is not here is it a little more peaceful. I don't have the running and jumping those days, just the whining and crying.

[countrymom]

I went to their house one day, and I couldn't believe what the boy and his brother were doing, (brother is 6.5yrs old) they are running and screaming like maniacs, jumping on each other, fighting, and all mom said was, "well they are boys" umm no, children don't act like this, because the rest of the daycare children don't act like this.

and yes, its so quiet without him, no running or fighting, or yelling. Oh his new thing is, is if he wants a toy he now grabs it out of the kids hands, lets just say, he does alot of crying here because i don't allow it.

[daycare]

I have a boy who comes in doing this and my immediate words are SIT. He then has to sit and play, no more running for this guy. If he still has issues, then he holds my hand and I walk him. If he gets a rise out of me holding his hand and having to walk him (which he hates) I then make him sit until I can keep 100% eye on him. Then I will tell him walking or marching feet only please. If he runs he gets to walk back and do it all over again. Yesterday he walked to the bathroom back and forth 2 times before he had to hold my hand.

It usually stops within the hour after getting here.

[Blackcat31]

children are hardwired to run. I would take a good look at the environment and try to rearrange things to prevent running.

The environment "tells" children what they are allowed and not allowed to do. If there are too many wide open spaces, they will run.

You need to eliminate any areas that make running easy. Use furniture, bookshelves, tables and large toys to deter running.

I know this isn't always possible in daycares where it is also your home but using large toys or toy boxes that can be easily moved back into place during your family hours makes it simple.

[daycare]

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

children are hardwired to run. I would take a good look at the environment and try to rearrange things to prevent running.

The environment "tells" children what they are allowed and not allowed to do. If there are too many wide open spaces, they will run.

You need to eliminate any areas that make running easy. Use furniture, bookshelves, tables and large toys to deter running.

I know this isn't always possible in daycares where it is also your home but using large toys or toy boxes that can be easily moved back into place during your family hours makes it simple.

or you can always throw a box of legos all over the floor....lol those things hurt when you step on them.....

[Blackcat31]

Originally Posted by daycare

or you can always throw a box of legos all over the floor....lol those things hurt when you step on them.....

that works too!

[Country Kids]

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

children are hardwired to run. I would take a good look at the environment and try to rearrange things to prevent running.

The environment "tells" children what they are allowed and not allowed to do. If there are too many wide open spaces, they will run.

You need to eliminate any areas that make running easy. Use furniture, bookshelves, tables and large toys to deter running.

I know this isn't always possible in daycares where it is also your home but using large toys or toy boxes that can be easily moved back into place during your family hours makes it simple.

I have done this and they actually push through people, things so they can run around them!!!! Its soooooooo irratating!!!

[daycare]

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

that works too!

Oh but I do have to warn you, if you have legos all over the floor, have ear muffs for the kids handy. The words that the legos force you to say when you step on them are not the ones we are supposed to say....lol

Cat, you gave great advice. I just squashed a huge issue with my runner by moving a table out another foot and adding a gate between the wall and the table. Now they cant run to the front door any more and when pickups take place, it cuts them off from being able to go back into the playroom...

[GretasLittleFriends]

Sometimes I say "walking feet" and if the runner keeps up his/her pace he gets to walk back from the place he/she started running and walk from there.

Everybody knows that we run outside and walk inside. Usually once we're suited up to go out, as soon as I open the door I have a herd of 2-3ft tall snow people joyously proclaiming "Run, run, let's run" and they take off. It is often accompanied by shrieking and yelling, as we are NOT allowed to do that inside either.

[jojosmommy]

I have one of those kids too and he is allowed to do it all the time at home so basically I retrain over and over. I find toys that require him to sit so that he simply has no reason to run. He also does a lot of returning to where he came from to walk. And like someone else said he hates if he gets to the point of holding my hand but sometimes its necessary.

[Heidi]

My in-the-house-runner oddly enough doesn't run outside very much. I even say "hey K, NOW is a good time to run". That's when he's "too tired" of course....

Oh, and if he's not running, he's rolling around on the floor. Toys? What are those?

He'll be 5 in May.....

[saved4always]

I have a 2 1/2 yo who just wants to run back and forth, back and forth all day long. I am not a stickler on the running thing, but I have ceramic tile flooring in the kitchen, hall and foyer where he keeps running. It can be slippery in socks and the 1 1/2 yo follows him in the running (and he is more likely to slip ). If he won't stop when I tell him over and over, I put chairs across the hall so it is too short of a run to be fun...

[MNMum]

I have a runner and shrieker, he is 3.5. He's not here today and things are so calm. His parents philosophy on most things "boys will be boys". What about your 18 mo old girl who is following suit, because you allow all things "boy"? She is fiesty, loud, non-stop. Ask her anything and it is immediate loud "NOOOO". She says no, even, when she means yes. So I started "correcting" her, "Dcg, say yes", then a nice quiet "yes". I did this in front of Dad and it was like it never occurred to him offer the option of a yes. He didn't even know that she could say yes. I don't think today's parents realize they are their children's most important "teachers".

[mrsp'slilpeeps]

This works for me.

If a child is running and I have already asked them to stop, I walk right up to them, grab them under the arm pits and make them sit on their behinds.

Then in a firm voice I tell them, stop running now. Play with a toy.

Seems to work very well for me.