Can/did your nearly 3 year old ds amuse himself for long?

[Elf]

DS is nearly three and loves doing lots of things like cooking, craft, hanging out washing (!) well lots of things actually, but only if he is with someone, usually me of course. He also plays for hours with five year old DD but it is always DD who thinks up the ideas for games and she can play by herself, look at books, draw etc perfectly happily.

I can't remember when she started to do this and perhaps I am being a bit impatient but sometimes DD wants to do something by herself or I want to do something with her and DS seems rather lost. We've got cars and books and colouring stuff and all sorts of toys but he just doesn't seem to be able to do it! The only time I noticed him being self sufficient was during the summer and he seemed to be happy to potter around the garden.

So, are your DSs like this or have you any ideas. Thanks in advance.

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my DS is 27 months and is exaclty the same and has been for some time. He goes ot nursery twice a week and is very happy and confident and entertains himself quite happily but its just when he his around close family (me in particular) that he wants/needs to be entertained.

Could it be that he misses you when you are not there (do you work?) and when he sees you he wants you all to himself?

Its tiring isn't it.

is it a boy thing??

my 3 year old charge will amuse himself fo an hour+ in the playroom.... if he is in the right mood.

my ds can for shortish periods 20 mins completely absorbed if car related; sometimes get him to do things e.g. park all his cars then come and show me, suppose you've tried this sort of thing?

No, Abwab, my dd is the same. but since she discovered playmobile figures, she has a lot of imaginative role play and sometimes goes off by herself.

Mine can - he always has been able to though - he's 2.8. Mind you, I ignore him a fair bit

It really varies - last Sunday morning I tried to engage DS in various things and he kept refusing and ended up wandering off into his bedroom on his own playing with a game for about 20 minutes quite happily.

Most of our one-to-one time is spent in the afternoons (I work in the mornings & he is at nursery) - and most of it is spent me doing stuff - washing, cooking tea etc & he potters, helping me or zooming his cars / trains about - he usually wants me to play more than I do, so I try to do 5-10 mins inbetween chores if I've got a lot to do, and we always chat / sing etc while we potter.

The only thing he would gladly do unassisted for any length of time is watch cbeebies

Oh, well, it seems he is not alone which is some comfort. No Abwab, I don't work but I forgot to say that dd is acctually dd1 and dd2 is one so things are very busy here and poor little chap doesn't get a lot of one to one attention, more like one to three! Anyway thanks everyone, I shall try the parking the cars idea and try and be grateful for 20 minutes!

It's about 20 minutes here too with my ds (2.8). Although like Frayed Knot he will happily sit in front of CBeebies is given half a chance.