How do I handle this situation? My son refuses to do gym at school or change his clothes in front of his friends.

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ndaoud asks:

Hi, My child is 5 years old. He does not accept to take with him to school his gym bag and he told me several times that he does not want to do gym at school. Some of the causes are that he does not want to change his clothes in front of his friends, another reason is that he got tired. Today i forced him to take the gym bag. But i guess this is wrong. Can anyone help me with this issue or have an idea of how can i deal with this situation?
Thank you for your interest.

In Topics: Self esteem and identity

> 60 days ago

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graham writes:

Hello Nadine. Gym class, at this age, should not be a stressful. I think it is important to discuss this issue with the school to make sure that their gym class, and the preparations for it, do not make the children feel uncomfortable. 
 
As for the shyness, you may find this article relevant: 
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Shy_Child/ 
 
What are the gym activities for 5 year olds at this school? Are the activities very competitive?

> 60 days ago

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rkaiulani writes:

You may want to check with the school to make sure that there is a private changing area for your son to use. I'm not sure what the rules are, but I'm pretty sure that kids should be entitle to privacy if they feel uncomfortable changing in front of others. Another thing to check, as Graham mentions, is whether the activities in gym class are stressful (i.e. push-up competitions) rather than inclusive. Gym class should be fun!

> 60 days ago

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