Photo: @SueWhite on Instagram
Four-year-old James doesn?t like to play alone. ?He enjoys Lego and building toys, but even then he seems to want an adult to play with him,? says his frustrated mom, Lori Hogan. ?He wants to show us his progress every five minutes.?
It was the same story at his preschool in St. John?s. ?James was constantly looking to the adults around him for interaction,? says Hogan. ?He won?t spend a lot of time ?playing pretend? by himself.?
If your kid is like James and won?t play on his own, there?s a bright side: The fact that he?s good at interacting with adults and other kids is a positive sign in his developing maturity, says Jane Hewes, associate professor of the Early Learning and Child Care program at MacEwan University in Edmonton. That said, your kid won?t have you or another playmate available all the time, and they need to get used to playing solo. Here are some strategies to get them comfortable playing on their own. 
1. Start gradually

Warn your kid in advance that you?ll be leaving them for a few minutes (say, to wash some dishes), but don?t go too far, and make sure you come back when you say you will, says Chaya Kulkarni, director of infant mental health promotion at Toronto?s Hospital for Sick Children. ?Over time, the need for your proximity will reduce,? she says. What you don?t want to do is sneak away when your kid’s not looking, as that may alarm them and only increase their requests for your attention.
2. Swap out their ...