Independent play for 3 year old

[Longingforsunshine]

Hi, looking for some advice on how to encourage my DD to play independently. She seems to be going through a phase where she wants to be my shadow unless I put paw patrol or encanto on the TV any suggestions how I can encourage her to play on her own. She has a lovely play kitchen which used to do the trick but she seems to have grown bored of it and isn’t that interested in the dolls house she got for Christmas or other toys. What ideas have you got? Thanks

When starting to encourage DD to play independently at around this age I would start off doing something - drawing, play kitchen, dolls - and started by stepping away for a couple of minutes at a time, then gradually longer and longer intervals. DD is almost 5 now and can play independently for a couple of hours at a time with me either doing something else in the same room or popping back in for 5 mins every half hour or so. And even recently started shutting her door to stop me interrupting her games! But it doesn't happen overnight.

My 3 year old likes water and playdoh and can play for 30 min to 1 hr with either. I have to help out a bit with the playdoh so it's not completely hands off, but it's enough to let me cook dinner. It's very child dependent though, my oldest never lasted more than 20 min no matter what I tried!

Thank you @caffeinebuzz and @Callisto1
Maybe I have unrealistic expectations for her, she was only 3 at Christmas. I will try short bursts and then try and lengthen the time she plays on her own. Anything to let me go to the toilet in peace! I’m single parenting for the next 4 months while DH is away with work so I guess I’m trying to make it as pain free as possible!

I started with an excuse - "mummy needs the toilet / to hang up the washing / to peel some potatoes, be right back" - and a focused task while I was gone - "why don't you set up the tea party / pick up the dolls from school / whatever might distract her for minutes"

If she isn’t used to playing alone, she probably won’t be able to do so for more than a few minutes. Try setting a timer and tell her when it rings you’ll do something together.
Also, try to stay out of sight. She probably won’t do anything but stare at you and whine if she can see you the whole time.
Help her plan. Sit with her and ask her to make some plans for how she might spend the time playing alone – she probably needs your help with this. For instance, tell her she could start by reading a book, and then move on to playing with puzzles and then Duplo.
Sometimes my ds will pick something to play with (his fire engines are especially popular) but sometimes he needs an little inspiration. I might help him build a fort or start a block city for him. It’s worth spending a few minutes helping your dd get involved with an activity.
I do respond once or twice to requests to “watch this, Mum” or “look at this awesome tower, Mum!” I admire what’s going on, comment on how nicely he’s playing, and maybe ask a question (“did your firefighter make any rescues today?”).
When the time limit is up, make sure you turn your full attention back to her and show some genuine interest in what she’s done.
Don’t worry about mess! If my DS is playing nicely, I’m not going to complain about toys all over the family room. When playtime is over, we’ll probably spend a few minutes picking up together, but while he’s playing, he’s free to play as he wishes (within reason).
Swap her toys around. Gather up some toys, put them in a box and put them away for a few weeks. The items will seem new to her when they’re reintroduced and will make for a good distraction from the lack of your presence (for a little while, at least!).