HOW TO ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENT PLAY
Play is an essential part of a child’s development. It’s the way they explore and learn so many fundamental skills like emotional wellness and independence. There are actually several different types of play that children engage in throughout their development–like parallel play, competitive play, and independent play.
You’re probably familiar with that last one because we all hope our children will develop independent play skills; play time that gives parents time to get housework done or simply have some peace and quiet. However, independent play doesn’t come naturally to all children, and some parents really struggle to get their little ones off their lap and onto the floor playing.
Your child likely struggles with independent play, not because they’re developmentally delayed or clingy. Instead, your space may not be inspiring play opportunities! Have you ever gone into the kitchen to cook, excited to whip up a new recipe, only to realize you’re unsure of where an ingredient or tool is? You search everywhere until you find it. When you finally do, you’re probably super frustrated. Cooking doesn’t even sound fun anymore!
Your kids experience the same thing in a messy, overwhelming playroom. So, to help you encourage independent play in your children, I’m giving you my top playroom makeover tips!
If you want to get inspired, see these tips in action in my YouTube series, “The Messy Playroom Makeover.”
Here’s my best advice for inspiring independence during play:
How to Encourage Independent Play
What is Independent Play?
Independent play is all about your child’s ability to engage and play on their own without direct supervision or any involvement from adults. It’s perfect for encouraging your child to play while developing self-reliance, problem-solving skills, and allowing kiddos to explore their interests and develop their imagination at their own pace. Some examples of independent play include:
Building blocks
Arts and crafts
Pretend play
Puzzle solving
Reading
Nature exploration
Simple board games
Imaginative scenarios
Separate your playroom into zones.
Start by dividing your space into quadrants and theme each section.
There could be a pretend play station in one area and an art desk in another. Or, you could have a train table in one corner and an indoor jungle gym on the other side.
These zones can be whatever makes sense to you, but by grouping them like toys that can be used together, you’ll encourage your child’s creativity and independence.
Choose functional furniture.
The furniture you use in a playroom is the foundation of a functional space.
To encourage independent play, you may need to rethink your current furniture choices. Choose pieces with open shelving, shallow drawers, lots of storage potential, and an appropriate height for your kids.
The right furniture will keep everything accessible to your children.
Keep age-appropriate toys at eye level.
Speaking of accessibility, organize all of your children’s toys at their eye level.
Babies and toddlers should have their items on the bottom shelves, whereas your 8 and 9-year-olds can reach things on the top.
When toys are within reach, it takes some of the pressure and hassle out of play that may be discouraging independence.
Remember less is more.
Avoid deep drawers and massive bins. The bigger they are, the more chaotic the contents will become!
Go with clear smaller bins, bags, and drawers with labels. This keeps every toy visible and logically categorized. This isn’t just good for you, but good for solitary play too!
You can find some of my favorite playroom organization tools here.
Have most toys accessible without adult help.
Your child’s attention span is only 2-3 times their age. So, it’s normal for your kids to jump from toy to toy.
However, if you always have to stop what you’re doing to pull down new toys and open bins, you and your kids will both get frustrated.
For independent play to work, everything has to be available and welcoming. Keep most toys out and ready for your kids.
Organize everything in a kid-friendly way.
Now that you have your furniture and bins, organize all your toys in a simple and specific way. You want your children to understand the organization, so they know where to find things and can help you pick them up too! Don’t forget your zones in this step! Art supplies go in the art quadrant, all the pretend food should go in the play kitchen, and so on.
Opt for more open-ended toys.
Open-ended toys are toys that can be played with in lots of different ways.
Think about things like blocks, play silks, an art easel, diecast cars, plastic animals, and more. These toys are “forever toys'' that your children will probably play with for years to come!
Since open-ended toys can be played with in a lot of ways, they inspire hours of independent play. They expand the possibilities of playtime rather than limiting them!
Ensure your space isn’t visibly overwhelming.
You don’t need a Pinterest-level sad beige playroom to make it aesthetic and appealing.
Just set up the toys and furniture in a way that displays the plentiful opportunities for play but in a minimal way.
Your children will be more likely to contently play alone in a room that’s not overstimulating due to clutter and disorganization.
Consider a toy rotation.
If you have too many toys and your children spend more time dumping them out than actually playing with them, try a toy rotation.
Simply pack away ⅓ - ½ of your children’s toys and switch them out every few months. Each time you pull out a new bin, it’ll be like Christmas morning–your children will start playing with them again like they're a new surprise!
Show your child how to play with each toy.
Before your child can do anything on their own, they have to first observe it.
But, how often do you demonstrate independent play? Probably not very often. So, your child may not know how to play on their own!
Demonstrate playing with the toys to teach your child to play independently. Simply play with your little one for a while, and then gracefully leave when they’re distracted.
Hopefully, they continue playing on their own!
Experiment with sensory play.
Sensory play is the ultimate open-ended play opportunity. Both independent play and sensory play have loads of benefits for your children. Here’s why sensory play is so important.
Make one of your quadrants a sensory play station with a DIY sensory table. And, make time to create quick sensory activities that'll inspire independent sensory play! This is a great way to spend quality time with your kiddo as they can get involved with making/creating the sensory activities too!
When you’ve burned through the linked sensory activities, download The Mothercould in Your Pocket resource that has dozens of sensory activities for all age groups!
You can help encourage independent play with these playroom organization tips!
If you want to help your child develop independent play skills, start by re-organizing that playroom.
Stay tuned for more episodes of “The Messy Playroom Makeover” on YouTube, and browse the blog for more parenting hacks like this!