Before going on maternity leave, a mother often dreams that at home there will be enough time for everything: for the child, and for the house, and for herself. And it would be nice to still have time to work. As a result, it turns out that time is running out, the day goes by trying to do everything, but nothing happens - and the borscht is not cooked, and the work does not work, the house should be cleaned, and the recently purchased paints are still on the shelf.
What to do? How to plan things so that you can keep up with something, and how to teach your child to play on his own? Here are a few steps to help you plan your child's “independent” play better.
1. Observe your child, try to make a list of what he likes to do. Try to determine what your child likes. Feed the animals with cookies? Folding and sorting something? Or maybe your child needs a sports corner for the little ones, and he will be happy to play there? Now go through the apartment - what can be changed so that the child is comfortable doing what he is doing. Make him a track of cars on the floor? Equip a drawing corner? Clear the kitchen table from things, so that he has where to sculpt? It is much easier to captivate a child with an activity if the place for this activity is here it is, ready.
2. Pick up what you need for independent games, put in separate boxes or bags. Offer homemade kits when you need to free up a few minutes for yourself (just remember to put the toys away later - so they don't get tangled up and the novelty effect doesn't disappear). For example, if you are cooking borsch, such a kid's play will give you time to cope with the beets and disassemble the cooked meat into pieces - to do all the "dirty" work. And you can also chop cabbage and taste almost ready-made borscht with salt with your child. If you work from home, a prepared list of activities can help you free up time to make phone calls or check emails throughout the day.
3. A separate difficulty for each mother is the waiting time in line, on the street. Here you can't do with puzzles or a board game - toys should be thoughtful, compact, and keep the child busy for a long time. Think about what can help you. The game "stones-paper-scissors", audio-stories on the phone, a small doll and anything from which you can make a house (even a mitten will do!) Are all good options.
4. Suggest new ideas! All articles on children's sites like "10 ideas for playing with a ball", all sites with children's coloring pages, simple constructors for toddlers and books with assignments for older children are your faithful allies. A good puzzle book, plywood fortress or coloring book will captivate a seven-year-old for a week - with a guarantee! - for a while every day, and ordinary dishwashing sponges may well play the role of targets for throwing into a bucket while mom calls at work, and outside there is wind, snow porridge and especially you don't walk. Try it, suggest it - even if the children don't like something right away, they will be able to evaluate the idea later.
After such an "independent" game, be sure to play with your child together, pay attention to him.
Of course, such a shift in attention requires strength and imagination, but over time, the child will learn to enjoy independent games, and you will have a little more time for yourself.
