5d โข Tips โญ
If Your Child Plays Brilliantly With Others but Struggles Alone ๐ฟ
I was chatting with a parent earlier who was wondering why her child can be wonderfully imaginative and engaged with othersโฆ but really struggles to start or sustain play on their own.
And honestly โ this comes up so often.
For many children (especially those with ADHD / PDA-leaning profiles), independent play isnโt about a lack of imagination or ability.
Itโs about how much internal effort it takes to get started, choose what to do, and stay with it. Thatโs a lot of executive function to carry solo.
Something I shared with her โ and wanted to share here too โ is that when a child can play beautifully with others, the skill is already there. It just needs support to emerge independently, not pressure to perform it.
A few gentle things that often help:
Starting the play together, then slowly stepping back
Using open-ended prompts instead of instructions
Keeping expectations small (5โ10 minutes really is enough)
Letting parallel play โcountโ
And leaning into low-pressure options like sensory play, where thereโs no right way to do it
What struck me most was how tuned-in this parent already was โ noticing patterns, noticing regulation, noticing her child. That attunement matters far more than getting it โrightโ.
Just sharing in case it helps someone else soften their expectations today. Youโre not behind. Your child isnโt failing. This stuff grows with safety, time, and trust ๐ฑ
Would love to hear โ what does independent play look like in your house right now? ๐
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If Your Child Plays Brilliantly With Others but Struggles Alone ๐ฟ
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