Independent play for young children – can that be possible, you ask? Definitely so. Independent play doesn’t mean that the child is without adult supervision entirely, but that they are able to direct their own play without any adult involvement. Wouldn’t you like to sit back and enjoy your hot coffee while your child keeps themselves occupied just a few feet away?
In fact, there are plenty of benefits independent play can have for children besides giving parents some much needed time off their feet! In this article, we show you some ways you can encourage independent play through toys.
ROTATE TOYS
Have you ever heard of the phrase, less is more? It may sound ironic, but when presented with too many choices, even as adults, it conversely makes it harder for us to decide on one thing. Keep your child’s options fresh by constantly rotating toys that are within sight and therefore easily accessible, retaining their interest in playtime. Of course, you will want to do this with your child’s preferences in mind – if he or she has a doll they love, you will want to always keep this within sight and rotate other toys.
CATER TO YOUR CHILD’S INTEREST
When your child is interested in a toy, naturally they will gravitate towards it and start playing with it without being prompted. The toy(s) that can be used to achieve this purpose will differ from child to child. If your child loves space or is hooked on a particular character such as Peppa Pig, you will want to leave out the corresponding toys for them to encourage independent play.
MAKE USE OF OPEN-ENDED TOYS
As a parent, you may or may not have heard of this phrase before. Simply put, open-ended toys are toys that can be played with in an assortment of ways, none of which are “wrong”. Common examples include building blocks and dollhouses. This allows your child to express their own interests and inclinations and come with the added bonus of helping you figure out what toys are more likely to captivate them if you don’t already know!
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE YOUR CHILD’S ABILITY
Many parents make the mistake of giving their child too many instructions on the “right” way to play with a toy. Unless they are doing something dangerous or unsafe, stop. Trust in your child’s ability to direct their own play – in fact, if you jump in with too many instructions or admonitions, they can slowly start to distrust their ability to direct play independently.
BUY TOY ESSENTIALS THAT ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENT PLAY AT KIDPOWERED
If you are looking to purchase some toys to encourage independent play in your child, you can find all the essentials you need at Kidpowered. Whatever your child’s interest, be it arts and crafts, dolls and toy houses or vehicles and railways, you can be sure to find something they will love when you shop by theme. At Kidpowered, we believe that toys serve to educate as much as entertain, which means that you get the best of both worlds when you purchase quality toys for your child.