Encouraging Self-play

My oldest child can easily entertain herself, and my youngest, who is seven, has always wanted somebody to play with her. I don't think that you are really going to be able to change that, but don't try to be the one to entertain him all day either. Maybe if you just let him be bored for awhile, he will finally find something to do on his own. My youngest is better about that than she used to be. Does he like to play games on the computer, or watch cartoons? Interactive games have always intrigued both of my children, and you can find plenty that they can play without help.

You have created a monster... lol. He is just so use to playing with you. Once his brother gets older and more mobile things will change unlit then try and just encourage him to play with a certain toy while you are there and then ask him to continue playing while you go check on the food and gradually spend more time away. But check in on him every so often like 30 minutes. Also tell him he has to help you with his brother and show him how to play with certain toys. Postive reinforcement- praise him for helping his brother and staying in the room for a certain amount of time. Cherish the time you have right now with your children in a few years you are the one that is going to be pushed away.
Good luck and hope this helps,
L.

I am having a super hard time with this as well. My son turns three in May. The only thing he seems to want to do by himself is play his Vsmile, and watch movies. Both of which I don't necassarily approve of Vsmile is good but he gets bored with the same games he has beaten over and over. The movies I shouldn't have to explain he just turns into a vegtable for the rest of the day. He loves to be read to and has plenty of toys but just isn't into them too much. I try to spend 2 hours with him, then 2 hours working (I work from home), then 2 hours with him and so on. I am trying to develop a rythym. If you don't have a Vsmile get it for the next birthday or holiday it works wonders for learning abc's and 123's spelling and problem solving. So any adivce for me as well?

i am a mother of 5 but i have gone through the two's at least 7 times what always worked for me was asking my son/ daughter to help me it was always "can you help mommy by playing with the baby" or asking them to make sothing for me out of like blocks, coloring a picture, or even out of play doe ( play doe if your brave...LOL). I use to ask my oldest son to teach the baby how to play with different toys it was cute my 1yr old was pushing around cars and putting lego's together.

A Little About me:

i am 29 yrs old a homemaker. i am a mother of 5 plus i have 3 step children i have 2 girls and 6 boys. My husband is a self contractor for construction.

I would start by getting him involved with a toy and playing with him for a few minutes, then saying something like, "Okay kiddo, Mommy is going to be right back. You wait here for me," and take off for about 5 minuets. Come back, play a few minutes again and then go away for 5 minutes. Then each day, increase the time away . It sounds like a long process, but in about a week I think you may be surprised how long you can get him to play alone. He just needs time to develop self-play skills.

(By the way, I am a 26 year old SAHM mom ( and student this fall) to a 4 year old and 8 month old and live very near you. We are active duty and I am a prior service Medic as well. If you need a budy to talk to , feel free to email me. )

I have heard to set a timer in his room and tell him that he needs to play by himself unil the timer goes off and then you will play with him. Start the timer for 10 minutes and get out a couple of his favorite toys and tell him when he hears the timer go off, he can come and get you. If you stick with your word and play with him after the time goes off, he will learn to be patient and wait for the timer. You can slowly add more time to where he will play by himself for an hour. If you reward him for staying until the timer goes off, he will look foward to it everyday. That has worked for some friends of mine, and i hope it works for you too. good luck!

Hi J.!
I have a two year old that demands a lot of my undivided attention but Thomas the tank engine and Geo Tracks saved me, so that I could sneak away and do housework, etc. We started out with the wooden tracks/trains and now we have the Plastic Thomas tracks/trains and the Geo tracks. I am able to set a track up with him and walk away and let him play. I love listening in as he makes train noises and acts like "Sir Topham Hat". I also set the train tracks up in the family room in the center of the floor in front of the television and I either pop in a Thomas DVD or turn to Channel 964 (Kids on Demand) and "buy" one of their Thomas shows. You "buy" them but they are actually free. He will actually act out the movie/show. It's really cute to watch him!
If you are not sure if your son will play with the tracks, you can start out with the off brand of wooden tracks, which are sold at Wal Mart. They are significantly less in price than the name brand (Thomas) and still can be used later with the Thomas wooden tracks.
Have fun!
D.

My son is the same way, but he is geeting better since I have figured out he just has a personality that does not like being alone. So, when I need to get something done he chooses some toys to bring in the room where I am and he plays there by himself. He of course wants to talk about what he is doing and I do converse with him. It is so hard to find balance for these things when you stay home. But we need to remember we need to capture the time our kids want to be with us and build strong relationships with them. We need to take advantage of being home with our kids to raise them. Of course we have other things we have to do during the day, but just begin by transitioning him into playing next to you first. But I think it is great that you have put a lot of time and effort into your child and it shows that he enjoys you as a mom!