Four year old doesn't play with toys since starting school

[mockorangey]

Just wondering whether this is common...

DS started school this year after turning 4 at the end of August. Took him a few weeks to settle in, and now he enjoys it but I do feel like the balance is a bit "off". His head is full of letters and numbers all the time. He spends most of his time writing, drawing, colouring, singing Jolly Phonics songs, playing adding games with his number blocks etc It is all school related. He sometimes does some role play where he is the teacher and I have to go to assembly etc.

He doesn't really play with toys anymore. He doesn't even want to do Lego. He does usually spend a bit of time playing with his little sister, eg chasing each other around

Has anyone else experienced this? It's great that he enjoys school, but I just worry that play is so important and he isn't doing much of it anymore. I would have thought he'd need it as a kind of therapy to decompress after school, but doesn't seem like it.

[Hallloumi]

We've found this too especially during the week. At weekends she settles more into some 'proper' playing. During the week she's more as you describe. To be fair she already spent quite a lot of time colouring before starting school but I also feel a bit sad/concerned that she isn;t playing as much now. I have read that lots of children need to be encouraged to keep imaginative play going and that it is good to do this (though I find that the hardest kind of play for me to do with her).

[mockorangey]

I hadn't heard that Hallloumi, but I guess that makes sense. My mum is great at imaginative play with DS, but I'm a bit rubbish. It doesn't help that I work 4 days a week and have a 1 year old too so I have such little time to devote to this. When I do have time to play with them, the 1 year old often demands a lot of attention :-( I will have to look up some ideas for how to encourage imaginative play. DS often rubbishes my suggestions so it might be a bit difficult!

[Di11y]

But school stuff is still play. You wouldn’t be worried if your 1yo devoted all their time to mastering climbing the stairs or walking, it’s similar with numbers and letters - they’re excited to master a new skill.

Once they’ve made some progress that they’re happy with, you may find the toys come out again.

[mockorangey]

Thanks Di11y, that makes sense