How This Innocent Mistake Stops Your Toddler From Playing Alone (And 3 Fixes!)

Independent play is an important skill that toddlers need to work on and develop over time. But sometimes getting your little one to play independently can be a challenge. And when it does happen, those moments of quiet play by themselves can be very short-lived. But you might be surprised to learn that often the reason they end so quickly is because we accidentally bring their play sessions to an end prematurely (by accident, of course!). In this video you'll learn how to extend your child's play sessions and also improve their play quality!

#emmahubbard #toddlerdevelopment #parentingtips

00:00 – 01:46 : The Number One Mistake That Prevents Independent Play
01:47 – 03:26 : A Must-Have for Getting Your Toddler to Play on Their Own
03:37 – 06:17 : Why “Less Is More” for Encouraging Independent Play

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[zannastar]

I think another thing that helps my toddler play independently is consistent routine. Often it's just the two of us at home and every single morning I spend around 20-30 minutes in the bathroom pre-washing cloth diapers and then taking a shower. My toddler used to often hang around outside the bathroom door (I leave the door open but I don't allow him to come in while I'm washing diapers) and sometimes I couldn't get him to follow any of my play suggestions and I would just have to sing some funny songs until I was done with my work, but increasingly he has learned to play independently for the entire time and beyond. Okay, once in a while his play would consist of pulling all my neatly folded clothes off the shelf but never anything dangerous and these days I can trust him to do something he knows he's allowed to do!🎉

[erika]

I noticed my baby would do this, stop playing and ask to be held, once I give him praise for playing with his toys. This is helpful and confirms what I’ve seen firsthand. Thank you!

[rossanafernandez]

I really needed to see this video TODAY! I just left her playing on her own and she did fantastic! Usually she gets very upset when I leave her, and now I know it’s because I’m constantly talking to her even when I wasn’t doing something else…

[milesyounghamilton]

Really helpful, we put down about 20 toys. I think we knew this wasn’t ideal so this video just gave us the push to try reducing the number

[amisenho]

My child’s bedroom is a yes space, but I find that she prefers to leave as soon as we get there. I tried the four-toy method, and not long after I close the gate, she signals that she wants to leave and go back to the living room.

She’d absolutely prefer to play with electric cables, trash cans, game controllers, remotes, and other expensive equipment, and I’ve made sure the toys are age-appropriate. Maybe it’s because we’re always using them, but we’ve lost a few items to the trash because of her exploration.

We tried removing batteries and letting her play with the electronics that way, but the weight changes; she can tell the difference and won’t play with them. She might be an electrician one day!

[AllyCakes]

I've been accidentally doing this right lol. When my daughter plays by herself I melt to the wall to get a few mins to myself 😂

[ZaGaijinSmash]

My little guy plays for a bit then comes to me and adorably says “come on Daddy. Let’s play together “ how do I resist that?

[LytlBug]

How do I encourage my 16mo to continue playing when I need to step out of the room?

He plays well independently when I am near him but usually gets upset if I walk away. I've heard it's better to let them know you're stepping out instead of sneaking away, but this breaks their concentration.

[Christina-xcon]

After being home with my baby and talking to him all day long for over a year, this is something I'm working really hard to improve 😅

[pepitachervenkov]

I was just thinking about that thank you!

[alexadelaide]

Our family rule is “when they’re in the zone, leave them alone!”

[annakey]

I noticed this the first couple of times I said anything while she was playing all of a sudden she needed me so I knew to say nothing. Found that out really quickly.

[Jessica]

my 2 years old twins are playing by themselves by my legs, no talking, no breathing too loud, and do not make eye contact, I drank an entire pot of karak chai, watched 2 episodes and they are still playing

[irinagonzalez]

Would you have research on that that you can share. I would like to print it out and share with my students.

[egr]

Yes, I’m trying to be mindful of not interrupting him when he has those rare moments of independent play.

[omarrd]

How do you prevent them from leaving the safe space? 😅

[ashapreethivs]

Hi Emma, i have a 4-5 month old son whose nap is on my shoulder always . Since my son has ger I was advised to keep him 30 min upright after feed . But whenever I put him to crib after 30 minute nap he cries to be carried nd nap on shoulder only.. help me with this

[araMannA]

When children start independent playing? Mine started somewhere around 8-9months and sometimes I feel like we don’t pay too much attention to it and he just learned to play alone.

[silentpriority]

What about books? My toddler loves to go through books and makes me read them all.

[nenadpavlovic]

How about puzzles ? My 2.5 year old loves puzzles (he now has 12 puzzle boxes in total, from 12 to 36 pieces) . Do they count as one toy or 12 ?