ideas for a whirlwind 3 year old please?

[beckyteddy]

I mind for a little girl who is 3 (she turns 4 in December) and she is like a little tornado!!

What I really mean is that she won't sit down and play with toys by herself, she will just run around the play-room doing comedy fall's onto the floor or will follow the other children around trying to get them to play or look at her "pretty dress" even though my two are boys-boys and don't actually want to look at her dress or her hair-do! Her other tactic is when I ask her to find a book or a toy to play with (while I tend to the babies nappy or am making tea etc.) she will choose a board game which she would then need someone to play with or will choose a doctors kit in order to involve someone else or a story book to read to the baby instead of one that she would look through on her own.

We do lots of activities where we play together and do at least 2 or 3 board games each day, lots of story time together and fun play like dancing to boogie-music (that's Robbie Williams - Rock DJ in her world!) so it's not like she's not getting enough interaction from me, it's just that when I need her tojust give me 5 mins to concentrate on something or someone else she won't/can't entertain herself at all!

I'm wondering what kind of continuos provision I might be able to leave out for her to choose from, or if there's a trick...ehem..I mean, encouragement technique that I could try to help her learn to play by herself now and then through the day.

PS. I look after this little girl until 8.30pm two nights a week so I'm starting to loose the plot a little bit when she's still looning round the house after dark!

[ChocolateChip]

For the times when you need to do nappies etc. could you use a timer in conjunction with a sticker chart, so if she manages to sit and 'read a story to dolly' or do some colouring for the whole time you are busy she can get loads of praise and a sticker? maybe you can start her off doing a minute, then two and so on to get her in the swing of it, and include the others aswell if necessary so she isn't singled out. But if they behave and she doesn't make sure only they get the praise! Is it just for attention do you think, would just ignoring her do the trick, maybe when she realises her little ploys aren't working she will settle down, at her age she should be able to play for a few minutes independantly.
Hopefully someone else will have some better ideas.

For the late evenings I am sorry but I would just not allow any child to be running around my house at that time of night. In our house after tea is quiet time, books, tv, puzzles, quiet games etc. if necessary a dvd is quite acceptable to wind down after a busy day, sit her on the sofa with a blanket- by that time you probably need to chill out aswell! :D
I realise she might not like it to start off with but be consistent with her, keep putting her back and say it's quiet time, like you would with a toddler who won't sleep. Tell her if she sits nicely she can choose the dvd next time. I have mindees who arrive early aswell, ten to six in the morning and they have to respect that others are asleep and they need to be quiet at least until 7.30 when mine start getting up.

[ChocolateChip]

Just thought, would a picture timetable help?
Have a picture up say for when it's 'dancing' time, then change it to a sitting down picture for quiet time, to remind her when you're out of the room?

For cp try teaset, megablocks, sticklebricks, cars, dolls and teddies, colouring, maybe a megasketcher or aquadraw if you don't want to leave crayons or pens out, fuzzy felts, books, anything that involves sitting down really!

[beckyteddy]

Thanks so much ChocolateChip...I love the picture timetable idea! I'm going to try that first and then maybe introduce the sticker chart to reinforce the pictures once she has got the hang of what is expected of her when the pictures come along.

I have duplo, cars, books, teddies and dolls in boxes and on shelves for her to choose from and she doesn't really seem interested. I know when she is really taken by something because she'll ask for it the minute she walks in the door ie. the Boogie dancing and princess board game. The tea set is a cracking idea, because she could set it up whilst I'm busy with the promise of a bit of interaction from me when I'm ready to join in, I'm going to ferret it out of the garage tomorrow. Also the fuzzy felt I think she would love as she likes a magnetic game I have where you dress up a girl and a boy with magnetic clothes...I'm going to have to buy one though as I don't have one just now...is there one that you would particularly recommend?