My DS 3.5 does not seem to play. He
can play, he just doesn't seem interested. I'm not sure if I should be providing more intellectual stimulation or making him learn to play or something.
When he was 1, he played very well with blocks and take apart toys and puzzles and all that. Then, when he was 2, he mostly stopped playing with toys except for several toy clocks. Once he figured out how to read an analog clock to the minute, he lost interest in playing with clocks. He went through a phase where he liked magnatiles and driving cars in and out of the structures he made. But he lost interest in that, and he hasn't really played for any significant time since then.
He does his share of silly kid stuff, but mostly he is just restless. Around the time he turned 3, I started letting him use my ipad. He spent a lot of time doing Bugs and Numbers and some other apps. I had/have misgivings about allowing him so much computer time at such a young age. But it's nice to see him engaged in something. Now he seems to have progressed through most of the game (and all the other apps we have). He can't really figure out how to add fractions or add coins past 27 cents, so I guess he has hit a wall there. Nowadays he just messes about in the ipad settings until it crashes and I have to put it away until DH can fix it.
Without a computer, DS just spends his day pestering the rest of the family. He may briefly play with our toy kitchen. He still likes play with stop watches for a bit. Sometimes I can get him to play with playdoh or do a connect-the-dots or maze or a puzzle. But that will only work for a day, then he becomes uninterested. He likes helping with chores and cooking, but that doesn't take much time or focus. He resists all of my attempts to draw him into imaginative play. So I don't know what to do with him.
He is in a kiddie gym class once a week, which he does fine with. He follows directions well, but mostly keeps to himself. He does seem happy about his experience there, but other structured activities have been a disaster. There aren't any good preschool options around, so I feel like it is up to me to come up with something to occupy him. But what do I do with a kid that doesn't care to play much?
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.
