Want to promote engaged, independent play? Want to reduce chaos and mess? Here are some tips from experienced early childhood educators.
Sometimes, parenting can feel overwhelming. We want to give our child our attention, but we need to tend to dinner, vacuum, call our friend, pay the bills, complete the work we took home, relax…the list never ends.
Happily, there are many ways to promote independence so your child can safely engage in enriching activities without your undivided attention.
Below, find the elements of an environment in the home that will facilitate independent play!
Tip #1: For Young Children, Locate the Play Space in the Locus of the Household
Often, our first instinct is to put a child's toys in their bedroom or sequestered location such as the basement. This will work well as your child grows, but young children require more supervision and seek more consistent connection. For that reason, we recommend putting your young child's play space in the heart of the household where you spend the most time. That way, you can watch them as you cook, clean, work, and relax, and they can feel close to you as they play.
Tip #2: Rotate, Rotate, Rotate
If I could scream this from the rooftops, I would! The time you dedicate to rotating toys will ultimately save so much time cleaning up and hearing choruses of "I'm bored!" Just as I get overstimulated by the five million options in the toothpaste aisle, children struggle to pick a toy when given too many choices. Furthermore, too many toys prove difficult to manage and clean. Thus, we promote engagement by limiting the number of toys or activities available and rotating them. Every few weeks or so, swap out some of the activities, and watch your child excitedly pull them from the shelves.
Tip #3: Use Low, Open Shelving to Make Toys Accessible
Display toys and activities on shelves that are low and close to the ground. Avoid designs with doors, as this leads to pinched fingers. We want children to see and easily access the options available to them. Furthermore, this setup encourages independence, as they can both choose, complete, and clean up an activity on their own.
Tip #4: Bins, Baskets, and Trays
“A place for everything and everything in its place” does not describe my domestic life at all. However, in the small, contained play space, strive to have a place for everything. When putting out activities, place them in a container such as a bin, basket, or tray that has plenty of room. Children will likely not take the time to strategically place blocks in a box so they fit snugly. When the time to clean up arrives, children will know where everything belongs. I purchased almost all of the bins, baskets, and trays in the Kaleidoscope play space during a single trip to a thrift store and highly recommend this strategy!
Tip #5: Work Space
The idea (in theory) is that your child will select an activity from the shelves and bring it to a suitable work space. Provide a child-sized table and chair and/or a comfy/padded mat on the floor. The contained work space will prevent monstrous messes from engulfing your living room, and child-sized furniture and cozy padding will give comfort as they play for hours.
Some Notes on Safety
Ensure that your child remains safe by erecting gates around any potential hazards such as stairs. Affix furniture to the walls to prevent it from falling on your child, and cover all wall outlets. Remove from their reach anything that is potentially harmful, including strings from window blinds or poisonous houseplants. Truly, the child’s space should appear almost sparse, but this minimalism will help prevent overstimulation and help us spot potential dangers with ease.
Want to Learn More?
At Kaleidoscope, we model all of these tips in our beautiful play space. If you live in or near St. Paul, Minnesota, come in any morning Monday through Saturday! Also feel free to reach out with any questions at hello@kscopelearning.org.
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