Does your child play by himself?

[swampnurse]

My son is 3 years & 3 months old. I also have a 14 month old daughter. My son pretty much refuses to play by himslef, even for a few minutes and it is driving me crazy! I have friends who say that their three and four year old play for "hours" with their cars and trains. I'm only asking for 20 or 30 minutes so i can get something done or spend some time with my daughter. He goes to preschool two mornings/week and we spend a lot of time having playdates with my friends and their similar aged kids. He plays wonderfully with the other children, but when we are home alone he wants me to play with him constantly and talks non-stop.

Does anyone have any advice? Don't get me wrong, i LOVE playing with him, but i need him to be able to occupy himself for just a little while and I am losing my mind!

Alyssa
"When you know better, you do better. But you never pay full price"

[gatorsmom]

My 4 year old could play by himself contentedly for hours. Until recently when he started preschool and we got a nanny about the same time. Since that started in September, he has a lot less time with me during the day and has become clingy and whiny always staying he wants to snuggle with me or to sit by him.

I chalk it up to not getting enough one-on-one mommy time. Because when I do spend some time paying close attention to him or if we start playing some games together, then usually I can leave him to finish playing by himself while I start working on other things.

Lisa
Mom to Gator July 2003
And Cha-Cha July 2005
and surprise! twins due 11/07!

[SnuggleBuggles]

All of his life ds has been great about playing by himself. I think that is a lot our doing. When he was a baby dh and I would hang out while ds explored the room. I am also not the kind of mom that keeps a very busy schedule or does a lot of things with other families (aka playdates). We have always kept that sort of thing to once a week. Edited to clarify- I think that by not being super busy and around a lot of people all the time he has had to get used to playing on his own. When it is just us at home I have to do things like make dinner. He can't be entertained by someone all the time so he just makes do. Sure, he would love someone to play with and often he will come into the kitchen to chat or show me a toy but he can play for a very long time alone.

It probably boils down a lot to his temperament though. We know we are pretty darned lucky. :)

Beth

[tiapam]

DD is like this but not quite as bad. I find that when I take the time to do something with her right away in the morning, she is more likely to play by herself later. She does not usually eat breakfast right away so that is a good time to color a picture, play a game, etc. I was even thinking about really getting ready for her requests (Mommy, I wanna play with you) and having "mommy's" school. A coloring page already on her table, maybe a book picked out to read together. You have to stay one step ahead of them! Of course, I just have her so I am sure it is a lot harder with a younger sibling.

-Pam

DD - 3 YO