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Inside: Eight simple tips to help your toddler play independently!
How can you teach your toddler to play independently?
We are entering into a new stage at our house where my five-year-old likes to spend hours playing Legos in his room. Meanwhile, I have the toddler and the baby hanging out with me while I am trying to manage household chores, preschool committee responsibilities, church assignments, and playing with them a little bit (or at least paying attention to them) all at the same time. The baby is just happy to chew on a toy or roll around, but my toddler needs a little more guidance.
I am slowly putting together a repertoire of activities and ideas to help my toddler play independently while I am trying to get other things done in the same room or close by.
Today I have 8 tips for you to help your toddler play independently!
Today I am going to share some simple tips for helping toddlers play independently and then tomorrow I am going to share a few simple activities that I have taught my toddlers to do independently.
Although I would love to just say, “the dishes can wait, my kids are only young once” and play all day with them… there comes a time when the dishes or laundry actually have to get done AND little ones need to learn to either join in and help with chores or just go play! I know this only because I have seriously had a dish line take up the entire counter and there is no better way to kill creativity than to have a disaster of a kitchen or a house! I wish that I could just clean at night after the kids are in bed and play all day with them… but the reality is that I am too tired most nights or have preschool or church meetings (or just want some down time), so I’ve decided to make independent playtime work.
There are loads of great tips and resources online to use as you try to have fun and include your children as you work on household chores.
Here are a few of my favorite cleaning ideas with kids…
I’ll be honest with you though… sometimes it is just easier to get the kiddos occupied so that I can organize and do jobs that I need to do without any helpers! I can only fold and refold laundry so many times before it drives me bonkers.
This is where independent playtime comes in!
Here are eight tips for helping your child play independently…
1. Sit down and play next to them before you attempt to get anything done.
After I’ve connected with my toddler through play, she often feels so comfortable and confident that she will play independently for 20-30 minutes without any prompting from me. Play matters! Spend time in uninterrupted play with your child for a little bit before trying to get your stuff done.
2. If your child needs prompting, help your child practice playing independently while you are with them.
Don’t be too fun and don’t engage with your child too much. Just model how to do it by quietly playing by yourself next to them. Model how to drive cars around or new and interesting ways to build towers with blocks. Model how to make a mistake and fix it yourself, model how to make dolls converse, model how to pick up and start something new, etc. Your kids are watching and they’ll probably copy some of the ways you play.
3. Afterwards, give specific positive comments to your child related to how they are playing independently.
For example: “Ryan, I love how you are working so hard to build that train track all by yourself.” They will recognize that doing things independently is a positive thing and want to do it more! Avoid just saying “good job” or saying they are a “good boy” since those comments aren’t specific and don’t help reinforce the specific things you’d like them to continue doing. Also avoid constantly praising or interrupting play! Often kids are playing nicely by themselves and we ruin it by jumping in. I love the reminder that play is the work of children. We don’t like being interrupted when we work… and neither do they! If there is a natural opportunity to praise or comment, go for it. If not, wait till the creative playtime is over and don’t interrupt the magic.
4. After a little while of practicing, take brief breaks from playing next to your child (2-3 minutes max) and go do a quick task while staying in the same room with your child.
Increase the length of adult task time over time. Some kids will play for 20 minutes + all by themselves from the beginning… and others will have a longer adjustment time and need to start with shorter practice periods.
5. Keep independent practice times short and successful.
Start by doing 5 minute independent play periods, then 7 minutes, then 10, and onward. Try to end practice times before they start to go downhill. My five year old now begs for independent time because it doesn’t happen all the time and because it is the perfect length (after lots of trial and error).
6. Independent doesn’t mean unattended or abandoned.
I am almost always in the same room or the room next to my toddler when we are both doing independent activities. Don’t sneak out of the room or away from your child. Be very clear and let them know that they are doing their work and you need to do your work for a few minutes. There is something really cozy about being in the room together both creating and doing our own thing.
7. Have special activities or materials that kids can only use during independent time.
Or let them choose a special toy/activity to do in a special location only during independent time. Make it feel different and they will think it is cool. I like to let my daughter choose a special toy from her brother’s room and bring it downstairs. She seems to think she is being sneaky (even though I tell her brother ahead of time), and has so much fun playing with the new toy. I also love these independent time tubs by I Can Teach My Child and I also shared some special activities in this quiet time activities post.
8. Take time to just observe {and put down your camera}.
I regularly just put aside my chores or assignments and watch my daughter play independently. I love to see how her play develops, listen to the conversations she has with her animals, and notice which toys she is most interested in. By taking time to observe, I can tweak independent time and make it more fun for her by adapting our activities to fit her interests and newly developing skills. I also learn a lot about my own parenting skills by listening to the conversations she has with her dolls. ? I also have to remind myself not to snap photos. Some moments just need to be enjoyed and observed, not photographed.
I’m sure many of these tips are ones you already know. This list is definitely not complete. What else would you add?
If you are looking for some great toys to foster independent play, I shared four favorite toys for semi-independent play that you might want to check out.
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