aquinas, what really made the big difference aside from her becoming a fluent reader is that I finally got her playroom prepared enough that it functions similar to a Montessori classroom. She picks an activity, sets it up then completes it, asks for feedback, then puts everything away before she moves on to the next activity. She probably needs 15 min of input per every hour from us when she is in the mood to be in the playroom on her own which is I'd say about 25% of her free time.
Yup. 18-24 months was the most trying time for me. DD needed constant interaction. I think I realized that in order to keep my sanity I needed to re-focus my efforts on childproofing the whole house and creating spaces where she could be independent. I wanted to create an independent learner. And, little kids learn by playing.
She had an area for creative play with blocks, wooden animals, and little people, a reading area, a kitchen, and an art table that was always fully stocked. And, I always kept a new project on the dining room table (usually a learning manipulative.) We pared down on toys, and went completely screen free (This works! It is not as simple as this, but simplicity goes a long way in creating a calm environment for kids.) The bed was for snuggling and telling stories, and we did that a lot. And, I had a chair that when sitting in I would read to her nonstop. But, other than that she quickly learned that I was doing my own thing at home. I would set things up, but that was it.
I did do a lot of research on how to set up the spaces and what toys I wanted for her. We invested in quality, open-ended toys, that she would grow up with--hundreds of dollars worth of blocks, 50 or so wooden animals, Fagus trucks, over a hundred magna tiles, a large set of keva planks, beautiful silks, wooden peg people, NiC modular home set, a large enamel tea seat--She has had most of these items for years, some for fours years. We love her toys.
We also spent a lot of time out of the house. In the car she had my full attention, and we played word games. And, we usually visited two museums a week and did kids programming out and about, where again she got my full attention.
I know that by 2.5 she was playing by herself for a good two hours by herself. She now can entertain herself all day. She reads to herself for hours a day, creates these fantastic play scapes and has a huge imagination.
