How to teach a child to play independently

A child playing independently in the sandbox often causes affection among many parents. After all, here he is - a kid, he goes through the molds, pours sand into a bucket, carries him on a truck. And only your little one goes after you tail, constantly asks you to play with him. Is it so important - the ability to play independently?

When the baby fumbles among toys, mothers breathe a sigh of relief - well, that's all, there is little time to do household chores - ironing clothes, making dinner, mopping floors. But the ability to play independently is important not only for mom. When the kid himself comes up with a plot for his game, he develops imagination and thinking. When he tries to understand why the rings do not fit on the base of the pyramid, his logic turns on. And when he begins to speak for his heroes, you can understand what the baby thinks about, what worries him. One mother, in a conversation with a psychologist, said that her child in the game punished a bear by going to kindergarten. Like, bear, broke the toy - go to the kindergarten. Later it turned out that the child was uncomfortable there, nobody played with him, he felt like an outcast in the group. Watching the child’s independent games helps you better understand his inner world.

How to push a child to independent play

If you want to achieve the independence of the child, give him this independence in other areas of life. If the baby does not want to eat soup, do not force-feed it, with persuasion and threats. Just accept that the baby really does not want to eat this soup. If the baby does not want to wear the notorious jumpsuit - pick out what your child’s taste is and not yours. Ask him more often about the situation. Ask the child what he would do in one case or another, what he thinks about this or that occasion. Children who are given the right to vote and reasonable choices become more self-confident, they do not suffer from fear of crossing the permitted line. By giving your child the right to such independence, you will teach him to play without assistance.

Subjects for independent game

Some children do not know how to play, no matter how strange it may sound. In addition to the banal skating machines and collecting the designer, they do not imagine other activities. First of all, you must teach your child to play. Role-playing games develop imagination, diction, acting. In general, such games are very useful and interesting. Often a child invents games himself, depending on what he saw or heard in the near future. But in some cases, the baby should help the child to bring the game to life.

1. A cafe. If a child has recently visited a catering establishment, he must have noticed who the waiters are, what they do and how they behave. Offer to put bears, dolls and rabbits at the table, and bring plates, spoons, forks to yourself.Tell your child that you must feed the little visitors, wash the dishes for them, and remember to take the money for the treat.
2. Dolls. Games with dolls can be very diverse. The simplest is Mother Daughters, when there is a family and some dolls perform their functions in it. It is very interesting to play Kindergarten - a large doll can be a teacher, and others can be children. Puppets can be taken on a visit, go to the store for them, and arrange a small hairdresser.
3. Doctor. If a child has a medical kit - this is another interesting game of a doctor. You can put in a row of all patients - a bear, I bark with a pacifier, dolls, a cow, a hippo. And everyone needs help! Someone needs to drip medicine in their nose, another needs to be listened with the instruction “Breathe, do not breathe”, the third leg hurts - urgently needs to be bandaged. As the game progresses, the kid will invent more and more new stories - give him this opportunity.
4. Cook. A great manifestation of independence is cooking. Of course, you cannot trust a three-year-old child with a knife, but even a child can chop the leaves of salad, mix chopped fruits and decorate the dish with herbs. Give the baby freedom of thought.
5. Cars. If your child likes to play with cars - great. On sale there are special flyovers with a large number of cross and serpentine roads - such a toy will certainly please your child. You can carry dolls in a taxi, follow the rules of the road, catch up with one car to another and even unload buttons or beans.
6. Animals. If you have a lot of animals in your arsenal, you can arrange an impromptu circus or even a zoo. Let the elephant sell tickets, and the monkey recalls that animals can be fed with cookies and apples.

In all games, try not to get into action before the baby asks you to. Even after that, do not make all decisions - ask the crumbs what the fox is sick with and how to get to the department store by car. The most important rule for these games is to trigger a child’s initiative.

What to do if the child does not want to play alone

Sometimes it happens that the baby plays in your presence, but as soon as you leave the room, he immediately weaves his tail behind you. In this case, you need to go for a trick. Leave a stack of postcards, a jar with buttons, a bag with shreds and lace in a prominent place. But do not give the child this directly in the hands. As you know, the forbidden fruit is sweet and mysterious things will certainly attract your baby. Make sure in advance that the buttons are large enough so that the child does not swallow them, so that the lace is not long. A child will play with such treasures even without your presence, believe me. This will allow him to get used to a new state of independence.

How to support a child in the game

If your child does not want to be left alone, do not rush to run away from him. Here are a few rules to help you support and motivate your child to play independently.

1. First, make sure that the game area is convenient, comfortable, and most importantly, safe. Take away all the valuables that the child can ruin, close the sockets, pick up the wires, get rid of dangerous objects. After all, independent play involves being in a room without adults. In addition, the play area should be comfortable. Arrange the toys so that you can immediately play with them - dolls at the dinner table, utensils on a toy stove, a bear sleeping in a crib, pencils with an album for drawing at hand.
2. Even if you are going to go about your business, do not go too far from the child. If you cook dinner in the kitchen, occasionally keep an eye on your child. And of course, always be ready to answer all the questions and comments of the child. He should still feel your presence.Regularly ask the baby what he builds from the designer, whom he draws and why the doll Masha did not get a cup of tea.
3. Sometimes children quit playing on their own at the moment when something does not work out for them. At this time, you should immediately come to the aid of your child. Help him insert the missing puzzle, help solve the puzzle and put the desired ring on the pyramid and the game will continue again - without whims and nerves.
4. Do not interrupt the child, do not tell him that he is doing something wrong. Do not scold the baby, do not forbid him to run, jump and carry toys throughout the house. Now - he is the king of the game and you should not climb into this kingdom.
5. It is very important to be proud of the success of the child and to demonstrate them in public. If the kid drew a picture with paints, show it to grandmother - she will certainly appreciate it. A salad prepared by the kid can be treated to dad when he returns from work.

By following these simple recommendations, you can gently push the child to independent games.

If the child does not want to play separately, introduce him to adult affairs. During cleaning, you can give the crumbs a small rag. Little children perfectly imitate their parents - they try to cope with a vacuum cleaner, wipe the floor and walls, drag a broom.

Accustoming the child to independent play, do not overdo it. It’s one thing when the baby is always with her mother and cannot even move away from her for a minute. Another thing is when the baby spent the whole day in the kindergarten without your presence and tries to spend time in your company. Drop everything, forget about problems at work, enjoy talking and playing with your child for at least half an hour. And then, having become much saturated with you, the child will again be able to occupy himself. And you don’t need to send your child to the nursery to play with toys when parents are in the living room, watching TV, talking. This is at least cruel.

The ability to play independently is not only the ability of parents to free themselves for several minutes. This is the baby’s ability to think, create, invent, express emotions. Teach your child to fantasize, and his consciousness will be much deeper.

Video: how to teach a child to play independently