2yrold dosent know how to play

[mushpea]

I have a 2.5yrold twice a week and have done since he was 9 months old, there have always been other children here at the same time as him, just latley I have noticed that he dosent seem to know how to play on his own, he can interact fine with the other children and generaly plays with them ok but now in the afternoons he is on his own and I have been stepping back to let him play by himself but he just sits there and stares in to space maybe pushing one car back and forth but not consiously if you know what I mean, I used to have this problem with him before but he was a lot younger and i hoped it would improve with age as his imagination grew. At home he watches spiderman a lot, mum sticks a dvd on for him , one with lots of episodes, and she says he watches it over and over again so I suspect this isnt helping, at mine all he talks about is spiderman and he is now pretend fighting with the older children which I have put a stop too.
How can I encourage him to play on his own and develope his imagination and how can I word it in his two year report that he dosent know how to play on his own

[JCrakers]

I have noticed from my mindees that children with no siblings are better at playing alone. Although I do have a 4.5yr old who cannot play by herself either. I had her for 2 full days last week as it was half term and boy I was exhausted with it.

This is because Mum is a reception teacher and I know she does a lot with her dd to the point of not letting her have free play so she just doesn't know what to do when left.
I really don't know the answer. I had a daily plan so she could see what we were doing and she could also see that she would also have to amuse herself as I couldn't and wouldn't play with her for 10hrs.
In the end she did actually play with some toys I got out for a while but did wonder round following her 21m old brother

[mushpea]

I find him very hard work when he's on his own although hes a lovley chap, he is an only child and I think at home the tv is on constantly which is why he dosent know how play, its sad really

[Mouse]

Could you encourage him to play with toys that he gets a response from (if that makes sense). One of my mindees loves this:

Wooden Click Clack Track : Wooden Click Clack Track : Early Learning Centre UK Toy Shop (http://www.elc.co.uk/Wooden-Click-Clack-Track/131258,default,pd.html)

He'll sit for ages & play with it as it does something. He has minimal input (putting the cars at the top of the track), then the toy does all the work! Give him a box of playfood, or something where he has to use his imagination, and he's lost. He'll play, but he needs someone else there, such as me to pretend to eat the food. He couldn't play by himself. It's fine most of the time, but I do need time away from him to see to the others, get meals ready etc.

I find he can play much better by himself if it's a toy that does something requiring little effort from him. Electronic toys are no good (Vtech etc) as he needs help with them.

[jillplum]

Following his interest maybe he would play with spidman figures and playsets. I have a few boys who love to act out spiderman etc. Spiderman colouring might be a hit too. Or books or play dough. All with spiderman or other action heroes. You never know what might spark his interest.

[Pipsqueak]

What i have noticed over the last few years is that more and more children seem incapable of playing by themselves. Many just don't appear to have a clue.

I currently have a 2yr old, only child much doted on grandchild, had her for coming up 6 weeks....and she still just stands and stares... waiting and watching the others....doesn't explore nothing... even with encouragement, me modelling, the other kids showing and inviting etc...

[Mouse]

What i have noticed over the last few years is that more and more children seem incapable of playing by themselves. Many just don't appear to have a clue.

I currently have a 2yr old, only child much doted on grandchild, had her for coming up 6 weeks....and she still just stands and stares... waiting and watching the others....doesn't explore nothing... even with encouragement, me modelling, the other kids showing and inviting etc...

It does seem much more common these days doesn't it? I had a 2yr old come to me from nursery. He would stand, waiting for me to tell him what to do. He had a box of cars to play with (mum said he liked cars), but I had to tell him what to do with them. I literally had to show him how to push them backwards & forwards :panic: I don't think it was that he didn't know what they could do, but he didn't know what he was expected to do with them.

I've found that a lot of chidren look for the on off switches on toys. If it's a car they expect it to move itself. If it's a doll they expect it to cry, wee, sleep etc. I've often had children pick up a toy and ask me what it does.

[mushpea]

I try and not have electonic toys, we have a few but I tend not to get them out as I feel its better for children to use their imagination, today for 5mins he played with one of those hexagan shape sorters, there was only one shape he could not do himself but the rest of the time i sat on the sofa pretending to do paperwork but really just observing him playing, he chatted away to himself saying thinks like, oh not there and in it goes, which was good for him, he can do imaginative play with other children but just dosent have the idea of how to do it on his own. Think I will look for some cheap spiderman toys , playdough he hates, he liked helping my daughter empty her pumpkin earlier but again somone was there to tell him what to do.
hes sleeping now so an hour to myself ,,phew!

[Maza]

My DD is a bit like that in places other than her own home. With her it is because she is self conscious and not really relaxed in other settings yet. What does mum say he is like at home?

[mushpea]

just says he watches spiderman over and over again or goes to the park with daddy occasionaly, even with me at the park he will just stand and watch the others unless one of them tells him what to do.
I had a rethink and I am not going to spend money on spiderman toys for him, he should be able to use his imagination for the toys I do have and i really think spiderman is too old for him, he was trying to play fight with the 4yrold girl today whose never heard of spiderman and mum now says he watches power rangers :eek:,

[dawn100]

All children are very different and some kids I think just struggle with imagination, I have 2 ds and 1 dd, my eldest ds is now 12 but he has always struggled with imagination and creativeness but is incredibly bright (teacher suggested trying to get him a scholarship to a private school) maths is like a walk in the park but ask him to write a short story and its like you've asked him to climb Everest! My other 2 however have great imaginations, they have all played with similar toys growing up but I think it's just the way they are wired.
With my ds if u gave him a box of cars he was lost but give him a road map to go with the cars and he was away.

Could you try to find him things that don't require too much imagination to start with but then add extras which he could use his imagination with. Eg cars and road mat, then give him some empty boxes which he could use for garages, buildings, jumps or whatever he chooses.