Playing out in the garden, playing generally without a playmate

[knickernicker]

For my sister with her 3, she will send them out if she needs peace and quiet and they will entertain each other for hours. I'm conscious that playing out gets dull for dd (9) after a while. I do try to be a playmate for her but it's not the same. How do you manage this? And how do you make evenings productive/fun? she has many activities btw e.g. Brownies and swimming. It's the in between time I'm thinking of.

[GingerDoodle]

Friends? Computer? Reading? Bike ride? Those were the sort of things I did

[Lonz]

My 3 year old finds plenty of crap in the garden (dirt, stones etc) to keep him occupied when he's in the garden playing.
But obviously that wont last forever! There's a boy in my area that plays by himself (his younger sister is months old) he's constantly kicking his ball about in the parking bay area and sometimes has a couple friends play out with him.

Is she into drawing/crafts? Maybe start a project that's educational and she can make collages and research different things? I found that fun as a kid.

[hels71]

Dd who is 7 entertains herself for hours inside with books, dolls, craft, Lego.....I can not get her outside on her own at all....

[CaitBlanky]

DD (10) watches crap on Netflix
Plays with Lego Friends
Watches more crap on Netflix
Reads
Diversifies from Netflix to crap on YouTube
you've probably gathered I'm not precious about screen time
She chats to me
Daydreams
Skypes her friends

Like your DD, she does plenty of outside activities so I reckon she's entitled to enjoy her 'downtime'.

[MrsLeighHalfpenny]

Any friends close by she can play with?

[leccybill]

I feel this too. Have one DD who is 5. I'm not generally a fan of other people's children but I do let DD have a friend around for tea very frequently.
Or we go to the park after school in the hope we might see someone we know to play with.
She has a swingball set (good one player game) and she likes skipping and cheerleading type dancing (often in the mirror).

It breaks my heart though.

[CaitBlanky]

Why does it break your heart, leccy?

[leccybill]

I feel guilty that we weren't able to give her a sibling.

She is so good at making friends and putting herself forward but I wish she didn't have to all the time, and she could experience the ease of having a sibling.

[Autumn2014]

my son is like this. he's nearly 7 and has some goal posts in the garden but only plays when his daddy comes home from work. it's no fun kicking the ball about by himself. he will go looking for mini beasts etc but always calls me into the garden to show his finds, so it's not really a solo activity. I feel sad too. we have a lovely garden but its not the same without a play mate. we go swimming and do beavers, and have play dates but I know what you mean about having a sibling to share those informal moments of play. I think he probably watches too much tv as a result :( Although we do focused activities together like reading and craft I cant be his constant play mate
xxx

[Blueberrymuffint0p]

What kind of area do you live in? My ds is an only and we live in a cul de sac with lots of other children. After school they all go out the front to play (weather permitting). Moving house is obviously a drastic measure but it would make a huge difference to have play mates right next door.

[Autumn2014]

We live at the end of close with lots of bungalows with either elderly residents or people with grown up children. The family houses were built in the late 70s and most people have lived in them since they were built. We seem to be one of the few families with young children, there was another family about 10 houses away but they rented and moved. can't afford to move and then It would still be an uncertainty that you would end up near children of similar age and who you like.

[LondonRocks]

Leccy, they may not have got on! Some parents are shattered just refereeing all the time...