dd getting worked up during preschool

[knat]

My dd (3) started preschool in September just 2 afternoons a week and she loves it. However when it gets to snack time she always creates a scene and shouts, screams and gets upset. The staff, one in particular, are brilliant and have tried different ways of dealing with it. There have been about 3 occasins where she has sat down nicely at that time without a fuss. No rhyme or reason for it. She does tend to do this at home to an extent, a lot of no's and she does hit out (at the teachers at school but never children). She also can be fine and then the slightest thing will send her bursting into tears.

I sppose i just wondered if anyone else had any experience of the same. The teacher at school is great and thinks dd is lovely but i have to admit that i'm wondering when things will change. She does seem very up and down emotionally and i know that probably comes with the territory of a 3 yr old but there doesn't seem to be this problem with anyone else. I know others have other problems with leaving dc's etc (which I don't - she's quite happy to go to school). Anyone offer any words of wisdom????

[Joceybean]

If the behaviour is only occuring at snack time, it could be she is feeling restricted by sitting down for a period of time. A lot of children have difficulty with this and some are better at it than others. At the preschool I work at we have a snack bar where the children can come over, a few at a time when they fancy a snack, rather than when they are told to. Since implementing this we have found it works like a dream and the problems we had have vanished. I know its not a solution for you but maybe it is as simple as that.

[Clayhead]

At our Pre-School we did the same as Joceybean describes and we found it helped a great deal too.

[knat]

sounds like a good idea and i think it is more the case that she just wants to carry on playing but by the same token she does have to learn that she has to stop and start activities. Do you think it's something that will just get better with timne. After Xmas she can go more afternoons a week and i though tmaybe with more of a routine of going (now she goes Tues and Fri) she might get more used to it.

[Posey]

We try and encourage all children to sit for snack time. Often to start with they don't want to and our rule is, no playing during snack time. Its not just snack and drink for recharging the energy levels but a quieter time. If children really don't want snack, they sit in the book corner quietly.
Does she not like the snack on offer or fear she may be made to eat something she doesn't want to or told off for not eating?
Is she able to explain why she does it afterwards?
My ds (totally opposite to my dd) used to like making a fuss at group times - loved all that attention and all the other children looking at him, even if it was negative
Now at age almost 4 he's grown out of it.

[knat]

i don't think its what's on offer i think its just that she really doesn't want to stop playing and moving round. I encourage her to sit down at home which she does fairly well. But she does tend to kick up a fuss over finishing activities to go and do other things. She does get in quite a state at school but once that time is over she's usually fine again. On Tuesday the teachers let her just wonder around whilst the others went tow ash their hands and eventually she came through. Once decided she would wash he rhands wouln't give the soap back - which created another scene! Then she went and sat down with the others and ate her crisps but when she'd finished hers wanted the other children's!!!!! Again this created another problem!!! She has had a couple of occasions where no fuss was made much to the amazement of the teachers!