My daughter has just turned fourteen months old and I love watching her play. This is the first time I’m experiencing this age and so every time she does something new, it is fascinating to see what she has picked up.
In the past I have been a Pre-School Teacher and I strongly believe in learning through play. As a parent though, things are a bit different than being in the classroom where my sole focus was encouraging my students to flourish and blossom. I now look after my daughter full time, but I also have a household to run, doctors appointments to attend, a husband who I want to make time for and as you know, the list goes on. I love taking time to get down on the floor and play with her, but I also want her to be able to independently play as well. There are times when I need to make dinner, answer the phone or have a conversation with another adult. My daughter is the center of my world, but I want her to learn that she’s not always going to be the center of my attention. So how do you encourage both interactive and independent play in a child?
For a start, I’ve decided to make sure I at least give my daughter the opportunity to do both types of play. I will sit down and play with her on the floor without any distractions. I will also make dinner while she is awake and ensure she has things to play with in the same room. I’m sure every parent finds a way to strike that balance, but here are a few ideas that have worked for us:
- Making sure there is a ‘station’ in every room that we might be in to peak my daughters interest. For example, in the kitchen, she has her own drawer that she can take things in and out of. In the car she has a bag of toys that she can dip into for entertainment.
- Changing toys and books around, whether it be putting them in a different room or simply putting the toy away for a period of time. These types of rotations I’ve noticed gives that toy a new lease of life and stops my daughter getting bored of the same old things.
- Keeping things simple. We don’t have a big house and I personally don’t like too much stuff around. I have noticed when there are too many toys around, my daughter tends to have less focus.
- Going to different places keeps things fresh for everyone. Whether it be a park, an indoor play area or to the grocery store, I try to get out at least once a day. Playing outside in particular inspires different kinds of exploration in my daughter so we do that as much as possible.
- Have them play with different people, both kids and adults. Admittedly, with my daughter still being a toddler there is a limit to how social her play is. But each person and age range has different ideas, styles of play and ways to communicate. Giving my daughter chance to play with different people exposes her to different ways of doing things.
- Take a step back. Let them experiment, even if they are finding something a challenge. I find this one tricky. When I am playing with my daughter, I have to remind myself to let her figure things out for herself, or to let her take the lead in the game she’s playing. When I do though, it is really rewarding to see her using her imagination and hear the language that she is using.
Tell me, how do you encourage both independent and interactive play with your child?
