3 Independent Play Activity Ideas For Your Kids

**Collaborative Post**

 
Learning through play is a big part of development for children and is the main way most children learn basic skills and improve things such as their fine motor skills. Whilst group play sessions are great for social skills and learning to share etc, independent play also has a range of benefits including learning to problem solve, developing new skills and learning how to keep themselves entertained for short periods of time as lets face it we can't always be say with them every second of the day! 

Having a list of independent play activities your child might like to do and allowing them to choose can be a great way to introduce the independent play, start by encouraging them to play alone for short periods, maybe 5 minutes, to begin with, and then you can slowly increase this time. Remember any activities should be safe for your child to do alone and not overly challenging. Below are three independent play ideas to get you started.

Building Blocks

There’s a reason building blocks like Lego and Duplo have been around for generations and remain some of the highest-selling kids’ toys of all time. Children adore building things. They love the creativity that comes with building blocks and the fact it lets their imaginations run wild. 

You will find building block sets suitable for children, and you can buy just a massive tub full of bricks if your child prefers. Either way, this is a task they can do alone for hours without getting bored. It’s mentally stimulating, completely safe and your child makes it as challenging as they want.

Puzzles

Every child should do some puzzles when they’re young. It teaches valuable life skills like problem-solving, critical thinking and patience. A puzzle gives your child something to solve, and this means their attention is 100% on that task. However, you need to know the right puzzles to give your kids, as ones that are too difficult will be tossed aside within a few minutes. 

That’s why puzzle games like Solitaire are wonderful starting points. They have different difficulty levels you can set, meaning the puzzles are tuned to your child’s capabilities. They’ll start solving them early on, and they gradually get harder and harder. It ticks the entertainment box and the challenging box, but they’re also 100% safe for your child to play alone. This puts them in the rare category of being an online game your child can safely play whilst still learning core skills. 

Drawing/Crafting

All children love drawing. It’s something we grow out of when we age, but who remembers the simple joy of having a piece of paper and some colourful pens? Give these to your child and they’ll be silent for ages. The trick is providing as many different pens or pencils as possible - kids love colours, and they love being able to use loads of cool things in their art. 

You could also consider buying some kid’s colouring books - they contain loads of pre-drawn pictures, and your child has to colour them in. It’s an excellent starting point for younger children as they begin their artistic journey. If they want to expand their artistic repertoire, consider introducing other crafting activities like cutting & sticking or any child-friendly craft kits. 

Get your kids to do all three of these activities, and they’ll learn to play independently. It gives them some alone time while freeing up your schedule!

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