Well, I think...
wait.
what?

lol!

I think she's a normal, maybe above-average in brightness, *female* 3-year-old;
it seems to me that girls/women multi-task from the get-go, while boys/men do one thing at a time.

You must have been exhausted. I hope part of that 6 hours was a nap, for both of you.

If you and your granddaughter's parents are concerned, have a talk with her preschool teacher.

Our younger grandson just turned 5. He is a first class chatter box, and I do remember him flitting from one thing to another. DD sent us a 15 second cell phone film clip of him jumping into the pool a year ago and "swimming" a few strokes to his dad, talking the whole time, even under water!

He is so different from his brother at the same age. Much less focused, much more busy, busy, busy. He is in the new California state Transitional Kindergarten now as a fall baby and loving it. He is growing up more quickly now as far as learning skills go compared to last year in a developmental pre school.

It might help if you could turn off the tv every now and then rather than leave it on. I have taught the boys to play cards, the younger one is still working on learning, and if the tv is on, neither one of them can concentrate. So my rule is no tv during card games.

I started out teaching Concentration followed by War for learning number value. Then we progressed to Go Fish and Crazy 8s. I am waiting for the older one to be old enough to learn Cribbage. Thinking of buying Uno for Christmas as it is just a Crazy 8s game with a twist and a larger deck of cards.

Every child is different. I have 4 greats' right now and each one is different. The three girls, 1 finishes things, her sister is similar to the one you describe --she is 2 and my 3rd GGD (different family) is kind of between. And there are all sorts of reasons ====Just stay positive, talk with her mom, have quiet time---sing etc.
Enjoy and have fun

chisue, I think attention problems are mis-diagnosed AND over-diagnosed by the professionals as it is. Don't you agree? It's not a business for amateur speculation.

I'm a non-believer, there are too many kids today who suddenly have some version of this problem and need to be medicated. I don't accept it.

Pick one - she's bright and gets bored, or she's a high energy person, or she's dim-witted and can't concentrate, or she's emotionally and socially undisciplined, or she's developmentally behind as a second child because she gets less parental attention than did her older sibling, or... or..., etc. There's no way to know. I wouldn't worry about it for now, though you might enjoy the challenge of finding things that she likes to do for more than a few minutes at a time. She's probably just fine, her behavior may must reflect her personality.

For some, there can be, but isn't always, the possibility of attention problems having an inherited component. Any history of this in her ancestry?

Sylvia, your silly comments gave me a chuckle.

edit for typo

This post was edited by snidely on Mon, Nov 17, 14 at 18:10

In general, the attention span of a 3 yr old is short compared to a 6 yr old. For example, when the psychologist designed the YMCA "Indian Guide" program for fathers and sons, he recommended that no activity should last more than 15 minutes. The Dads were instructed to find construction projects that would fit into this time slot. If the project needed more time, it was to be designed to be stopped at 15 minutes and the boy and father was to take the materials home to finish later together. Each portion of the 'business' meeting should be as short as possible, say not more than 10 minutes. A portion night be choosing a leader, or awarding patches. The program was for boys aged 6 to 9. The average attention span of boys in this age group is 5 to 10 minutes. Naturally, attention spans of boys can be much longer if they are engaged in play of their own making. The 5 to 10 minutes is for activities directed by someone other than the child himself.

Sheila & Marie hit on another point:
Introversion/Extroversion make a difference.

Introverts aren't necessarily shy; they're just directed from within, while extroverts are directed from without.

Introverts are content to play alone or read alone for long stretches of time, while extroverts chatter & bounce.

Someone once told me that many actors are introverts because introverts can act like extroverts, but extroverts can't be quiet long enough to act like introverts.

Thank you all!

I hope to stay a 'silent partner' about this. *I* won't be asking questions of her teachers -- one reason I'm asking questions on the KT. She's my GRANDdaughter, not my daughter. I should gain perspective after her family is with us on Maui for a week over the holidays. (The TV is not a constant at Grandma and Grandpa's house.)

She IS an extrovert -- good point -- and her brother (9.5) IS more introverted. He is shy about accepting awards in school. She would have to be ushered off stage as she launched into her acceptance *song*. She's not bratty, she's just "on" all the time.

I am mainly concerned that she will be able to focus well enough to feel competent in school. Her father (our son) has ADD, but without the 'H' (hyperactive) component. Because he wasn't hyper (disruptive), his school didn't recognize what I saw as his difficulty in focusing, and his self esteem suffered. You don't 'outgrow' ADD, but an adult can accept it and work to maintain focus. (Snidely, I only wished he *would* take some meds!)

I'm not alone in seeing the *possible* problem with DGD. Our DIL, a teacher, has mentioned a concern. One of her sisters is dyslexic, but has still managed to become a well-regarded psychiatrist. (You should see her amazing, multi-colored study sheets from med school!)

This 'parenting' instinct never quits, does it? LOL

Of course, I have no doubt that you are a "silent partner," not an interfering grandma!! I was fortunate to have parents and in-laws who were not sticking their noses into our child-rearing practices, and I'm trying hard to be the same (think I'm doing ok).

If the parents start wondering if all is well, they could check with their local public school to see if there is an early evaluation program which might offer some support. But let's not panic, she's probably just fine!!! They all go at their own pace.

Alyssa is 3 1/2 and I watch her several times a week at my house. She will play for a long time with different things but you have to be there to sit and watch or be a part of it. She loves to clean and will work and work at it. Loves to help do whatever I am doing from making cornbread to making hot cocoa for everyone. She has so much energy and talks and asks so many questions. All kids are different.

Sue

My DGD was like that at 3 she was just happy happy in her own little imagination. She started Montessori at almost age 2~~she was very good in school, sit down, stand up, do what you were supposed to do. Come home and just be crazy run around girl~~~she is in 1st grade now at a Christian school very good student and is right on task with her homework. But as always she is very busy~busy. My DD keeps her in after school programs, to help her get her wiggles out. My DGD has told me sometimes she just has to run and wiggle around to ge ther energy out~so when we have her we go to the park or she plays outside til dark time.

I bet your DGD is just like mine and everyone has to be creative to keep her busy ;) She is the most high energy kid in our family. Next month she is going to run her first 5K and not be able to jump in the jogging stroller~~she wants to win a medal~