How to Start Independent Play

While spending quality time with your child is crucial, you should also let them go out and discover the world on their own. Skills like problem-solving, independence, creative thinking, and more can all benefit from kids engaging in unsupervised play. Giving a child time to play independently, even if it’s just for a few minutes, can help parents recharge.

This book will help your infant or toddler get started with independent play, whether they are just beginning to grasp their environment or are eager to go on their first big adventure.

The Perks of Doing It Alone

Experts agree that alone time is just as important for babies and toddlers as social engagement with adults and peers. Children can develop independence, self-reliance, focus, and the ability to learn from their mistakes, all via the process of playing alone. All of these things do wonders for a kid’s confidence.

Around the age of 8 months, many children begin to recognize themselves as unique individuals, and this is when the benefits of independent play become very apparent. According to Claire Lerner, a child development specialist at Zero to Three, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to fostering healthy development in young children, children who spend time playing alone develop a sense of friendship with themselves. Your child will be better prepared to establish friends in the real world because they genuinely enjoy being around those people rather than out of fear of being alone.

It’s nice for parents, too, when their infants can entertain themselves with toys on their own. You can get some things done around the house, make a phone call, or just kick back and relax while the kid plays by themselves.

There are further advantages for children when they play alone:

• Learn from their imaginative leaps and bounds.
• Investigation into what motivates them.
• A chance to show resilience in the face of adversity.
• A feeling of freedom and independence.

When Kids Can Play Alone

There are several factors to consider before beginning a solo campaign. Your child’s age and current level of development come first. Your kid will be able to play independently for longer as they become older.

Age-appropriate rules for unsupervised playtime are listed below.

• A toddler of 6 months may enjoy 5 minutes of independent play.
• They can play alone for around 15 minutes by the time they are 12 months old.
• They may have 10-15 minutes of independent play time at 18 months.
• They should last for about 30 minutes at 2 years.

When deciding how much time your child should spend playing alone, his or her temperament should also be taken into account. A child with a calm demeanor and a lack of impatience may be more open to trying new things on their own at a younger age.

How to Begin Playing Alone

Establish “alone time” on a daily basis so your youngster may grow acclimated to spending time alone and develop an interest in playing alone. Childproof the place and provide a handful of their favorite toys and books. Get them engrossed in a game or book, and then step back from them once they’re fully absorbed.

Sitting a few feet away and offering words of encouragement every few minutes will give your baby a sense of security, which is especially important for infants under one, as Lerner recommends. As they get older, you’ll have more freedom to go to the other side of the room or even step out for a few minutes. Ensure they know you’re close by and check in on them frequently. Before you go again, say a few words of thanks for what they’re doing.

When you join in on the fun, does your kid immediately stop? Just try this: Spend a minute or two playing with them, then put them down for a minute or two. Get back in the game. Maintain this routine for a few days so your youngster learns that when you leave, you will be back. Toys will eventually become more engaging than your comings and goings to them.

How to Beat Loneliness Through Playing Alone

Anxiety about being apart from parents typically emerges as a baby realizes they have their own unique personality. Due to their immature understanding of time, newborns have no notion of how long they’ll be gone before returning. Sometimes they cry when they’re upset.

Allowing your baby to take the lead in arranging time apart is a great way to combat clinginess. Wait a minute or two if they crawl into an adjacent room. Say you have to go and reassure them with your voice if they start to fuss if you have to leave them for a moment. Time is needed, but they will soon see that independence isn’t that bad.

Put an end to your guilt over unsupervised playtime.

It’s not often the kid that pushes back against alone time, but their parents. They feel like failures as parents if they aren’t constantly keeping their infant occupied with something new and interesting.

The value of spending time together as a family is undeniable, but the concept shouldn’t be taken to an unhealthy extreme. It may be difficult to observe your baby’s playtime on their own, but remember that this is an important and helpful developmental stage for your child. You should never undervalue the time you spend with your infant.

Meaningful articles you might like: How to Teach a Willful Adolescent to Be More Independent, 6 Simple Things You Can Do to Make Your Kid More Independent, The Benefits of Raising an Independent Child