2.5 year old won't play independently

[RockpoolPolly]

DS will be 3 in August and has me in tatters and numbed with boredom at the end if the day as u don't get a break. He rarely naps unless we are in the car so it's pretty full on. I respect those parents with more than 1!

I won't drivvle on too much except to say that I struggle to get him to if any activity on his own apart from watching Mr Tumble! Even then he demands to be in the same room as me.

If the weather had been better we could spend more time outside. At soft play centres he whines if I don't play with him which defeats the object!

At home, he wants to do role play or play doh or train sets, but again, not on his own.

His enthusiasm for play is great, but I'm just not wired to do it all day as it can be so boring.

The tantrums he throws if he doesn't get his own way are also draining.

Any suggestions?

Dd was like this, Ds luckily just got on with things! Aplogies if you've tried these, but how about:
playdates / park dates - at least you get to chat
'real' activities, eg washing up, mudpies, cooking or cutting biscuits, painting - messy but might be more engaging than toys
special box of toys that only comes out once in a while
any family that could give you a break?
Have your choice of music or tv on in the background

Good luck, with the best will in the world it can still be so repetitive/dull. And try and ignore tantrumming if you don't join in every time, perhaps try 5mins together, then 5mins getting on with something you need to do, gradually increasing the gaps?

Feel your pain. And i have a 11 wk old ds to contend with.
Worst part is dd (2) is so fricking bossy. Demands that i 'come now' 'sit there'. Then i have to watch as i am not allowed to join in but i have to watch intently and pass comment at all times. Aghhhhh!!!

I was in exact same situation 6 months ago. I started by explaining to Dd that I was going to do a job (hang washing out etc) and then once I'd done that I'd play with her. She soon accepted that I had jobs to do and as long as she could see me busy (ie not sat on iPad with a cuppa!) she'd quite happily start to play on her own as she learnt I'd be with her shortly to play. So you could try that?

We have the same issue with 3.5 year old. We try to set him up, then let him get on with it; ignore him if he's very belligerent, insisting we have things to do; or use a timer and say that after 10 mins we will come and play. We try to do these things consistently but it's hard.

I think it's personality - he just likes being with others plus he currently 'flits' from thing to thing. We'll see how it progresses as he gets older...

any advice welcome here too!

Will he 'help' with household tasks? My ds, just 3, loves to help unpack the dishwasher, by handing me each plate/cup etc to put away. He also fetches things from the fridge & follows me around with his own broom while I sweep. Very slow, but things get done & he is entertained.

Yes, he does help with stuff like that. he likes to be involved.

I think I am expecting him to want to go play with lego, for example, on his own for twenty mins/half an hour but that's not the case. Maybe he's not there yet, age wise. Or maybe it is just personality