How to encourage play skills?

[Rowfet]

My DC is nearly 3. Loves books, can read and DC's idea of heaven is reading the simpler books themselves, or sitting in my lap until I run out of books to read to them. DC will be off to nursery soon, and I was wondering, should I be modelling role-playing games, like Mums and Dads, Restaurant, pretend supermarket ..etc? DC will play nicely with toys if no books in reach and left to it, but not sure how they'll get on with playing co-operatively with other children.

[birdglasspen]

Well you probably know that his 3 year old peers will not be reading book with him? If he’s lucky he’ll get a couple stories a day. Some children don’t play much. Maybe yours won’t. Should you be modelling role play games? Surely that’s what you doing normal life is and they see and copy if they wish? Do they have access to various toys? I read loads to mine but I also have stuff to do and like them to play themselves ? I have a 7, 4 and 2 year old and none of them can read. They can all play and love books. I guess you’re sending him to learn to play with children if just let it happen. Playing with a parent is not the same as playing with a child anyway.

[Rowfet]

My DC has lots of toys, but tends to play with them solo. If I'm around DC just wants books, and it's always been that way, so I have some serious Mum guilt because I'm not sure I've really modelled any imaginative play beyond moving toys around and making them make animal/truck noises occasionally.

[NoCloudsAllowed]

I wouldn't. Dd was like that. Most kids at nursery at that age play alongside each other at the most, rather than with each other.

Dd used to spend a fair bit of time in the book corner reading, or the home corner. Nursery staff are good at finding ways to encourage them to participate. Play is natural rather than learnt, really and they all follow their own path, some kids never really do imaginative play that much.

[Giveuprobot]

@birdglasspen

Well you probably know that his 3 year old peers will not be reading book with him? If he’s lucky he’ll get a couple stories a day. Some children don’t play much. Maybe yours won’t. Should you be modelling role play games? Surely that’s what you doing normal life is and they see and copy if they wish? Do they have access to various toys? I read loads to mine but I also have stuff to do and like them to play themselves ? I have a 7, 4 and 2 year old and none of them can read. They can all play and love books. I guess you’re sending him to learn to play with children if just let it happen. Playing with a parent is not the same as playing with a child anyway.

What a thrillingly snarky response to a perfectly sensible question. Not every board is AIBU.

OP, I think it's always sensible to encourage independent play - if not only for your own sanity! Busy Toddler on Insta has lots of resources on how to go about encouraging this.

But in terms of playing with others, this is pretty much the point of nursery - to learn how to co-exist with others and no doubt your child will get the hang of it. For what it's worth, mine loves a cuddle and stories at home but thrives playing at nursery. Unsurprisingly, she does not expect other 3 year olds to read to her 🤨