It’s our job to safeguard our kids and keep them safe from harm, but as parents that can cause us to become overprotective over time.
From my own experience, this can actually discourage your child from becoming independent, which in turn will prevent them from developing into strong minded and fully functional adults.
The question that remains, of course, is how do we encourage our kids to avoid becoming co-dependent on others? Interestingly, the answer may lie with how they spend their down time and teaching them to play happily by themselves.
Teach your Children to be Comfortable in Their Own Company
This process starts by teaching your child that it’s OK to be alone, rather than encouraging them to constantly seek the approval of others.
Play is an effective way of teaching this lesson, as it can make being alone a fun experience that encourage kids to enjoy their own company. This ties into the fact that being alone is a learned behaviour, and one that needs to be fostered and encouraged positively over time.
To achieve this, you should simply put your child in a playpen with a handful of their favourite toys, while taking your place nearby. Over time, you can begin to move further away from the area, planting the seed of self-soothing and encouraging your kids to become less dependent on your presence.
In some cases, you may find that your child needs a little more guidance to enjoy solo play time. This can be challenging, but you need to focus on inspiring their imagination by helping them to identify their passions and offering positive reinforcement throughout.
Obviously, your kids will have their own favourite toys and pastimes, even from a relatively young age. By using these to underpin their play time, you can engage them on a deeper level and encourage them to focus less on your presence.
Positive reinforcement also offers genuine encouragement during solo play, particularly when your draw attention to what an excellent job they’ve done. So, if they’ve built towers using blocks, tell them that they’ve done really well and strive to build their levels of self-confidence from an early age.
What About the Practical Considerations?
At this stage, you may well be uncomfortable with leaving your child by themselves during play time.
This is why you need to create a secure and baby-proofed play area in your home, and one that actively encourages exploration and experimentation. This way, your kids can play comfortably while you can rest assured that they’re safe even without constant supervision.
You should leave no stone unturned when creating this space, by covering the space in a thick fabric that safeguards against trips and falls. With this type of approach, you can include fun and exciting toys like a stunt scooter in larger play spaces, safe in the knowledge that they can be used responsibly at all times.
