I think we need to work on this more in our home and need some ideas.
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I am not sure if this will help but we do independent play twice a day for ~30 minutes each time. I put her in a playpen with some toys of her choice and tell her I will see her in 30 minutes. I also turn the radio on for her. Then I leave the room so she cannot see me, though she can still hear me and will try to engage me in conversation. R is 21 months old. We've been doing it since she was really little.
Since your LO isn't used to it I'd start with 5 minute increments and increase slowly. A timer may help LO understand that you will return after it goes off. I like splitting the time up to twice a day as it gives me two extra opportunities to have time to do things without her. Be aware that there will be crying. R cries sometimes but she does calm down after a few minutes. It is an adjustment but I think the pros outweigh the cons!
Good luck and if you have any questions let me know!
ETA- she does play by herself outside of the playpen but she will check in with me quite often.
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My daughter is only 11 months, but this is important to me so we've been doing it for months now. It's part of our routine. I made her bedroom a safe place with lots of accessible toys and books. A couple times a day I bring her in there, and sit in the chair reading while she plays. Currently she still needs me in the room for most of the time, but every day I leave after a few minutes and leave her be. Some days she goes for awhile, other days she follows me immediately. When I need to cook or do the dishes I put things on the floor near me to play- she usually does pretty well by herself as long as I'm within eye sight.
It's a work in progress. Give her fun, safe places and start small. -
I've never "worked" on ind play but my LO is really great at it. I just do other things while he plays. I'm usually within eyesight but I just let him do his thing. He'll wander around the house, hang around his toy areas (pretty much one in each room). Sometimes I'll make a new "toy" by putting a bunch of his toys in a Tupperware container or get out the salad spinner and put a toy in it...
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I'm going to copy/paste from another thread where I replied
t's specifically a part of our routine and rhythm, and has been for a long time, in increasing amounts. Right now he is 15 months, and after breakfast he typically has 45 minutes of time he needs to entertain himself or follow me around while I do things. Some days he wants longer, some (rarely) days he is whining at my leg every 10 seconds. If he is insistent, I'll take his hand and lead him over to something he can play with and leave him, rinse repeat.
Something else that makes a huge difference, judging from other playdates I've been to, is that our home is very toddler friendly. If he can't play with it, it is locked or out of his reach. So I'm not constantly redirecting him and expecting him to reset and entertain himself each time. I can fold laundry in the bedroom, and if he wants to hang out with me he can - but he often will go into his room and play, or go watch the birds on the porch.
Hope that helps! I certainly don't think I have it all figured out - but this is what works for us. Self-entertainment is a non-negotiable for me because we'd like to have another ASAP, and we're waiting until 2 for any screen time. So.. if I didn't insist on independent play, I'd go insane
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There are a few spots in our house where my son will play alone, in our kitchen at the table and in the playroom.
In the kitchen, I have a box with playdough and paints, which are the only two things that I kind of restrict where he can play. I don't mind if he plays in the kitchen with those things because it's all wipeable. He'll play there while I am cooking etc.
In the playroom, we've basically made it so he can be down there alone without us being there (age 3). We have stations set up and he can more or less do whatever down there. Last night, he called me down because he needed some help with stickers. He was sitting on our couch with his 1000 stickers book that he got off the shelves.
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I leave her with a few toys and go about my business? For us, it was more about me getting up and walking away and not hovering over her and feeling like I had to entertain her.
Her toys are all within her reach and easy to access, we've tried to model much of that set-up after Montessori practices and it works beautifully. I think that them being able to get things for themselves is a big part of it.
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i am no expert on independent play, but i think having a completely (or almost completely) baby- or toddler-proof zone is extremely helpful. i can cook dinner or do chores while LO is in a space where i know he can't get into too much trouble. i do have to glance where he is every 5 minutes or so. also, as he gets older and can reach more things or figure out how to open more doors, i adjust and do more babyproofing (which usually involved putting things way high up).
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