How to teach your child to play independently
Play is a foundational skill that can help your kiddo during social exchanges and promote self-independence. For some kids, independent playtime does not come spontaneously and can be difficult for them to comprehend and navigate. These easy to implement tips and tricks will be helpful foundational skills to assist you in building up your kiddo to more independent play time!
Start in small increments
We don’t want to overwhelm the learner and create a scenario where they are feeling anxious, upset, or uncertain of what their expectations are. Have them practice playing independently for a few minutes then slowly increase the amount of time they are engaged in independent play. It is always good to use activities and games the kiddo already has in their repertoire! It would be difficult to play a brand new board game alone that they have never seen before. Also, keep in mind their age range. A toddler will be able to handle playing independently for 10-15 minutes while a young school-aged child will be able to handle 15-30 minutes. Timers are another little trick to keep up your sleeve! You can let the learner know ahead of time that they are going to be reading books for 10 minutes then when the timer goes off mom/dad can come play with them again. The signal of the timer helps set them up for success knowing there is a clear end to the activity!
Independent Activity Schedule
Visual activity boards are a beneficial tool for helping create opportunities for structured play time. The activity schedule is a set of pictures or words that cue your child into the activity. You can break the activities down into small tiny steps to help the learner or keep it more vague for the learner who has had a lot of practice following a visual schedule. You can use a three-ring binder with a picture of the activity on each page, activity strips, whiteboards, or written words. Initially, the activity schedule should be brief then slowly add in more activities as they get the hang of it! Use activities that the child is already familiar with, activities they are interested in, and close-ended activities. You can always give them their favorite snack or drink after they complete their independent play time to show them what a great job they did following along to their schedule!
Deliver Reinforcement
Keeping things positive helps the child understand they are doing a great job. It is always hard to learn new skills and expectations in the beginning. Use positive phrases and language all throughout the day when you catch your kiddo trying their best to play independently. Deliver the reinforcement frequently in the beginning. Everyone always likes to know they are doing their very best!
Example Independent Play Activities
Musical instruments: Let them create a marching band, dance along to their favorite songs, or even create their own song along the way!
Books: Set out a bin or pile of various books of their interest
Dress up: Helps them to use their imagination and work on various play schemes
Sensory bins: These can include rice, water, dirt, pom-poms, anything convenient you have in the house
Puzzles: Helps the learner work on those visual perceptual skills
Coloring or any art-based activities: This will help increase those gross motor skills
1 player board games: Helps the kiddo with their problem-solving skills.