6 EASY ACTIVITIES THAT ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENT PLAY

TO PLAY WITH A CHILD IS TO LOVE A CHILD! SO LET'S PLAY!

6 EASY ACTIVITIES THAT ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENT PLAY

Now is the best time to encourage independent play and learning!

How do I get my 3 year old to play alone? That’s a question, I’ve asked myself sometimes, especially when I needed to work from home. These 6 super easy, SCREEN-FREE and super quick to set up toddler activities help me anytime to avoid the “mommy, mommy” calls and my participation in every activity my 3 year old is doing. Works great for us! Give them a try!

How do I get my 3 year old to play alone?

So, if you are wondering how to get your toddler to play alone, so you can work, check out these 6 toddler activities and these three simple ways that work for us:

Let them find something safe, that they find fun and engaging.
Never interrupt!
Always keep an eye on them.

For inspiration, we share our experience here and the favourite independent play activities of our little one.

6 ACTIVITIES THAT ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENT PLAY

1. Water activities (30 min – 1 hour)

From our experience – water activities are just a great way to keep toddlers busy, focused and safe. The best thing about them – toddlers can do these water activities alone.

The worst that can happen is to get wet, which is pretty good in the summer. Check out these 10 activities with water that will keep your toddler busy for hours.

2. Dance (30 min – 1 Hour)

Kids love dancing. Make them dance a choreographed dance and musical in front of a mirror. The use of the mirror improves proprioception and it’s an important instrument to improve stability.

You can create a playlist with the favourite songs of your toddler and let them do their freestyle dance. Let them find their favourite partner.

Our little one for example loves Frozen. He can sing and dance for hours. This is not only great gross motor activity but also another hour of my time.

3. Puzzles (30 min – 1 hour)

We use different jumbo puzzles for our little one with 30 pieces. He just loves them. Get your toddler hooked on a puzzle and they can do it over and over again.

4. Sensory Bins and bags (30 min – 1 hour)

Indoor or outdoors, sensory bins and bags are not only education, but a great way to explore the world with our senses.

easy activities that encourage independent play

5. Gross Motor Activities (1 Hour)

Gross motor activities are a MUST for your daily toddler routine – the longer the better. You can set them up in less than a minute and your little one will for sure play independently for hours.

For inspiration check our indoor gross motor activities!

6. Fine Motor Activities (1 Hour)

Fine motor activities are the second MUST for your daily toddler routine – the longer the better. You can set them up easily in the form of art activities, sensory bags, sensory bins and your little one will for sure play independently for hours.

For inspiration check our fine motor activities!

They keep your toddler busy, fit and happy. Daily.

Happy Independent Playing!

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Iva G. Livingston

Hi there, I'm Iva! I'm sharing here my experience of being a mom. Make your life easier with an easy daily toddler routine. Create your own daily toddler schedule with fun, educational toddler activities, easy toddler meal ideas and practical things to do with your toddler. We have some of the best ideas for fun, easy and no-prep toddler activities, toddler play and games, so you can have fun with your little one every day. You can choose the best activities for your family and share your own playtime ideas. We love to play with our little one every minute we have free and to turn everything into a game. As parents, we all have a limited amount of time and energy. We might be busy, be constantly tired, annoyed or even burnt out. That’s life sometimes when you are an adult. Becoming a parent gives us a second chance for a brand new life. It gives us the opportunity to make the greatest gift to a human, that we could ever give – a truly magnificent childhood. Let’s take this opportunity and play! Happy Playing!