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Infants, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
how did you teach your child to entertain themselves
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Anonymous
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DC is 2 (just turned) and I know that to some extent it is normal for a 2 year old to be unable to entertain themselves for too long but our child will not allow us to do anything (cook dinner, house projects for 10-15 minutes). When we are working on projects and not attending to her, she begins getting into everything that she knows is not allowed. any advice would be appreciated so I can get a few things done. also, she is our only child and I could not imagine what it would be like if we had to attend to another child, which we are hoping for in the future.
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Anonymous
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You can encourage playing by themselves but I don't think you can actually teach it.
At that age I often hired a mother's helper to come by during the dinner prep hour. |
Anonymous
| It's always hard to tell whether entertaining oneself is something that depends on the child's personality as opposed to learned behavior...But for what it's worth, my 2.5 year old daughter can play by herself for over an hour with legos/trains/helicopter/iPad. I think part of it is that she sees me working on my computer and wants to be/to do "like mommy", so she does her own thing... |
Anonymous
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Can you work some of your projects in the same room?
It is in large part a question of personality: my son never needed me to join in, even as a toddler, whereas his friend at the same age needed constant accompaniment. That being said, my son and I always occupy ourselves independently but in the same room - the living room - where he has his toys and I have my workstation. I believe that has helped foster his confidence that if ever he needs me, I will be there... |
Anonymous
| I'd babyproof a bit more if your child is always getting into things she shouldn't. |
Anonymous
| Totally agree it has a lot to do with personality. My 2.5 yr old son has been able to entertain himself for over an hr since he was a year old. OP, could you try giving her some crayons and paper and sitting her at the table while you prepare dinner? |
Anonymous
| My son just started being able to do this at 3.5 indoors. Otherwise, the only thing that worked was TV. Outside, he's great, but of course I can't leave him outside alone. |
Anonymous
| Get a huge plastic baby corral, then get another one and add them together so there's a big circle of safety. Put toys in corral. Put corral in same room as your project. Leave kid in corral and do what you need to do. Get kid out when you are done. Add earplugs if necessary. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| If you jump up every time she gets into something she shouldn't, you've basically taught her that this is the way to get your attention. Try thoroughly baby-proofing one area, work on your own project in there, and ignore her naughty behavior/reward her good behavior. As long as she has ways to get into things that will get Mommy to come running, why shouldn't she? |
Anonymous
I was going to say the same thing. My 2.5 will happily sit and draw with crayons, play with Play-Doh, etc. at the kitchen table while I cook. So long as we can chat, and I'm available for "Mama, look at this!" every few minutes, he's okay. |
Anonymous
| My kid is barely 2 and can play by himself for a little while. For us, I think a big thing has been setting him up with a project (play with your blocks, your choo choos, your puzzles) -- to give him an idea. Also, having highly entertaining toys has made a big different (i.e, when we got the trains). |
Anonymous
| The child is 2, the baby corral idea probably won't work. I know for my son he understood that he could just put one leg over and climb out. Or even run right into it and knock it over. |
Anonymous
| Nick Jr. |
Anonymous
| Did your child ever entertain herself as an infant? Just curious. |
Anonymous
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Getting into everything she knows she's not allowed IS entertaining herself. It's exploring. She's not seeking your attention, she's trying to learn about those things that have been forbidden.
Do some babyproofing, start getting good at carrying on conversations while your child plays on the floor and you make dinner. |