My 3 yr old refuses to play by himself

BabyC925

HELP!! looking for ways to encourage my 3 year old to play by himself from time to time. he gets so worked up and thinks he's in trouble when i tell him its time to play by himself for a little bit. If I'm doing dishes or "busy" he's ok but i CAN NOT just sit and relax for 5 mins w/out him asking me to play. He has a great imagination when we play and we have a ton of fun but i can't do it all day long. He'd sit and watch tv all day if i let him but thats definitely not the answer. i rotate hi toys and i set up different play areas….What are some ways i can encourage him to play by himself, Im at a loss!!!

ncbelle

Is he your only child?  I found that my oldest has a MUCH harder time playing solo than my youngest.  He is almost 5 now and does fine most of the time.  When I need some me time, I would explain to him that I was having some "mama time" for a few minutes and that he could have some "Callum alone time" and then we'd play - that mostly worked.

sugarbear0524

Are you home with him all day? If so, maybe it's time for him to go to a Children's Day Out program or preschool a couple of days a week. That could foster some independence in your son and give you some time to get things done or relax. You might both be happier that way.

HML5382

DD struggles with this too, and definitely we're the same as far as TV goes! Some things I have found that help a bit (by no means do we have this totally under control though) are if I pick an activity for her or even start playing something with her and then tell her to continue on her own while I do something else. She does a lot better with that guidance than when I tell her to just "go play." In fact those two words can cause her to burst into tears as if it's a punishment! I've taken to calling it "carpet time" or "room time" or "craft time" or whatever depending where I want her to play (I read the babywise series and that's sort of how they refer to it) and I do think it helps her to have a place she's supposed to be and a particular activity she's supposed to focus on.

luvmygirlss

hahaha join the club. I have been trying to figure this out myself. The only way she will be good is if I play with her the ENTIRE day. I step away to cook or do dishes, it's over. She just does not want to play alone. I guess that's were siblings come in...