Why Children Should Play Independently?

• Why Independent Play is Important for Children?

When children play independently, they're learning many valuable lessons they'll carry with them throughout their lives. Solo playtime helps your kids become well-rounded individuals who are happy whether they're in small groups, large crowds or alone. Here are several reasons why playing alone is important for children.

  1. Teaches Children to Have Fun Independently

Kids who play by themselves learn to have fun on their own. They don't count on others for their happiness and entertainment.

As your children grow, they understand that they won't always have someone by their side every waking moment. They'll be more confident and satisfied individuals.

  2. Bring Out Their Imagination and Creativity

Imagination and creativity are valuable for both children and adults. In later life, imagination and creativity become key components of innovative problem-solving skills. Life depends on solving problems; people who have good problem-solving skills are likely to do better at work and in other areas of life too.

  3. Develops Their Social Independence

Playing alone develops a strong sense of independence in children. They don't have to be around another person or a group of people at all times. This social independence will help them feel comfortable in any situation. Playing by themselves doesn't encourage your children to shy away from others with this new-found independence. It actually prepares them for whatever your day holds, a morning of solo play, an afternoon with your playgroup or an evening sleepover with a friend.

• How to Encourage Independent Play? 

Even after you’ve recognized the benefits of backing off and not constantly entertaining or supervising your child’s play, you still have some role in helping your child get the most out of playing alone.Therefore, when you want your kid to start playing independently, the trick is knowing how to encourage it.

  1. How to Encourage Independent Play at the Start?

A good start is to assemble a basket of special toys and items she likes: a book and some interesting and safe objects like an egg beater, a feather duster or whisk broom. Add in some fun options like a hat, scarves and other dress-up accessories, crayons, paper, and an empty egg carton. You can jump-start her play by sitting down with her to explore the items, and slowly disengage once she shows signs of getting involved with her discoveries.

Stay in the room with her, but start your own activity: reading, tidying up, or folding laundry. Being close by makes it simple to keep the connection she craves by occasionally commenting on what she is doing and praising her for her activities. In this way, you are not directly involved but are providing her comfort while she is playing alone. Extend the time on these independent play sessions by a few minutes every day until it becomes part of the child's normal routine.

  2. How to Continue to Foster Independent Play?

A big part of getting children to look forward to independent play times is making sure that they have open-ended toys that reflect their current interests and are appropriate for their age. Kids sometimes don't know how to play independently because they have an overload of options. Too many toys can actually be overwhelming, and make it difficult to concentrate or make choices. Consider rotating your child's toys, storing some away and out of sight. If toys disappear for a period of time, they'll feel new again when you bring them out, and the child will usually be more interested in playing with them again. Rediscovering an old favorite is fun for the child, who will likely show his enthusiasm by playing independently for a longer period of time. Pay attention to the toys your child consistently shows interest in, and clear away the ones that he or she has ignored for a few weeks. When the current favorites start to lose their appeal at playtime, you'll have a stash of fresh options to offer them

It is very important for children to play independently. If you want to create or look for a more comfortable environment for your children to play, Battaplay seems to be a good choice for it can offers high-quality toys and more worry-free and secure playgrounds.