Solo play for toddlers

[newnamewhosthis]

DD is 2 will be 3 in June. I am like most other people working from home. I'm really struggling to keep her entertained she just doesn't play on her own.

She constantly wants either me or DP to be interacting with her, I bought loads of arts and craft stuff, playdough etc but she won't do it unless we're playing too.

Is this pretty normal or should we be encouraging more solo play at her age

I'd say it's normal at that age, I have a 3 year old daughter (and also WFH so I understand your pain ) and she is still stuck to me like glue.

My employer is flexible at the moment luckily and isn't putting much pressure on me to be stuck at my laptop constantly. My DP is still working outside the home so I have to work in shifts.

She does have some spells where she will tootle off and have some solo play with her dolls etc but it's not long before I hear the inevitable "play with me mummy". It's a juggling act, it really is.

My DD was like this but I just had to leave her to play by herself but under supervision (I’d be working in the dining room but she’s in the lounge- easy for me to say we have open plan)

Anyway she is now so used to it and doesn’t seem to mind, she chats and can make herself laugh now. I actually think it’s really good for them. I feel so so guilty especially because it is a change for her, and hope it doesn’t have any detrimental effect but I have to wfh at the moment.

Before all this my DD (3 this month) was quite happy to play by herself for periods of time but I’ve now realised that was because she’d had several days in a week where she played with her friends at nursery/had structured activities. I’ve got a newborn and have been struggling with how much she wants me to play with her but I’ve found that if I can spend a bit of time focusing on just playing with her in the morning and afternoon then she will play by herself for a bit afterwards.

Its not normaly for my 2.5yo who does play most of the day on her own.however,we have never spent all day playing or anything, we have always encouraged independent play so she is used to it. We'll sit down and do a puzzle for example, but then she needs to play by herself and repeat.

You have to teach them how to play on their own, just keep saying no and you are working