I am fairly new to daycare and have been at home with my two kids. My eldest daughter who will be 4 shortly only began to play alone properly within the last 10 months. I have been a very hands-on mother and although we'd mixed with other kids at the Early Years Centre, we don't have any family or close friends nearby. I found that although I tried to show her by playing with her, she actually only learnt the concept properly after being with older children. Possibly the little girl in question would benefit from some older children to watch and copy? I realise this may not be a solution for you, but for me it was a game-changer! My second child (almost two) plays perfectly by himself, again only recently (past couple of months) as he's watched my daughter and the older DC kids.