Q
My 3-year-old attends preschool. His teacher keeps pushing him to do arts and crafts activities. He isn't interested in those activities while in school because he has so many new friends and toys to play with. My son doesn't even want to go to school anymore. I think he would go to the art tables on his own if he were just left alone. Should preschool children be forced to do certain activities?
A
Your little boy should not be forced to do any particular activity at preschool. A healthy preschool offers a safe, stimulating child-centered environment. Preschool staff should take their cues from the kids regarding their interests and curiosities. Their task is then to encourage those natural interests. They should not compel any child to perform activities that the child is not interested in. Your son would rather play with toys and socialize with other kids than sit down at a table and do teacher-selected arts and crafts projects; that's a perfectly understandable choice for a 3-year-old to make. If your son wants to do anything related to arts and crafts, he will initiate those pursuits just as he initiates playing with toys and socializing with his peers.
If this preschool's director and head teacher do not understand your concerns or complaints, change preschools. Any preschool director or head teacher who would encourage this behavior on the part of her staff does not understand early childhood development and has no business operating a preschool. I am sorry if this means that your son has to leave the preschool friends that he has made, but continuing to force him to go there under these conditions is not healthy -- his own reluctance to attend preschool proves it.