Training the Tot: Outdoor Fun

I am attempting a lofty goal.   This week, my daughter and I began some more "Tot Training".

Our church has outdoor evening church services every summer, and last year was difficult.  The princess loved to run around during the services and play.  That's to be expected from a tot, but it can be quite distracting to those around her.  I also believe children meet the expectations that are set for them.  That's why we began training for outdoor evening services this week.  (The weather was actually warm enough to do this!!!) 

My goal is to train my daughter to be able to sit on a blanket and play quietly outdoors for 30-40 minutes, regardless of what is going on around her.  On Wednesday (our first practice session), she played with an old sensory bin for 9 minutes without attempting to get up!  I was so proud of her.  I tested her after about 7 minutes by walking away and weeding the flowerbed that was nearby.  She was interested in what I was doing but continued to sit for another 2 minutes before getting up. 

Today was session number two.  She played well for about 8 minutes before beginning to get a bit antsy.  At that point, I suggested she sort some objects by color.  She did this and ended up playing quietly on the blanket for a total of 13 minutes.  Again, I was a bit surprised and impressed.

My goal is to increase her time by 2 minutes or so each session, until we have worked up to 30-40 minutes. I know this is a lofty goal and will take a lot of discipline on my part, but I really think she can do this. We'll see! :)


Have any of you attempted similar training with your tots? What were the results?