Mum, would you play with me?

“Mummy, would you play with me?” “I don’t want to play alone.”

It’s certainly a question that echoes in mothers’ minds and that you hear very often every day, while wondering how to make time to play with your baby when you have so much to do. Let us reassure you – independentchild’s play leads to confident children who dare to think with their own heads, create their own ideas and have an irresistible imagination.

In the beginning, of course, we are happy to play with the children, to get to know their play, but soon it becomes a daily routine and suddenly the child doesn’t let us out of his/her hands anymore, because he/she wants to play with us all the time. It is important for the child to play on his/her own, as this is how he/she creates his/her own identity, builds his/her imagination, creates his/her own play in a planned way, strengthens his/her thought processes and increases his/her level of creativity. A child who is used to always having a partner at play will find it difficult to play alone when there is no one around and he is left to his own devices. Group play is great for strengthening social bonds, but when children play on their own they learn to think on their own and give value to their ideas.

A child’s ability to play and work on his/her own also has a very practical side: it allows parents to carry out their daily household chores in peace, and, in the meantime, their work duties too, as working from home has become part of our daily routine. Encourage your child to play independently so that he or she learns to think independently and develop his or her own ideas, while also building a positive self-image and not having problems standing up for him or herself.

There are several ways you can help your child to strengthen and encourage independent play:

• Provide materials, tools and toys that the child can play with independently – e.g. colouring books, puzzles, didactic blocks, quiet interactive books, creative toys such as plasticine, sand, etc. Choose smart and safe toys for him, only with these will his learning, imagination and fine motor stimulation be positive.
• Make a deal with your child – if he plays alone for so long, you’ll play with him when you’ve done all your chores. It is important for the child to know that he or she needs to play on his or her own.
• Praise him when he plays on his own – any praise will have a positive effect on his self-image and encourage him to continue playing independently.