I have had a couple of children who could not entertain themselves. When I have had these children, I have used a visual schedule, so they know what is happening during the day. They learned to know when it was expected that they participate in free play and during those time I would not be available to entertain them. Free play generally happens before meals, the last portion of quiet time, and the first and last half hour or so of the day. It took some longer than others, to realize that it was important to be able to play and use their imaginations.