Help - appropriate play

[5 Little Monkeys]

Sounds like he is delayed in play due to his circumstances. He is an only child at home and has been around younger children in his day homes. Sounds like you are doing a good job at teaching him how to play though!

I would keep doing what you are doing and encourage him to play with the others. If there is a specific toy that they are fighting over, I will either put it away or bring out a timer and each child gets 5-10 minutes to play with it before having to pass it on. If they still fight over it though, it gets put away until the next day. I also have to say multiple times a day "find a toy that no one else has right now" to my 4 yr old dcg. She loves to take their toys if she sees they are having fun with it. It's annoying so I know how you feel!! lol

Could he be bored? Does he play with age appropriate toys?

Keep doing what you are doing and do lots of shadowing. He will get it eventually!!

[2cuteboys]

Sounds like he is delayed in play due to his circumstances. He is an only child at home and has been around younger children in his day homes. Sounds like you are doing a good job at teaching him how to play though!

I would keep doing what you are doing and encourage him to play with the others. If there is a specific toy that they are fighting over, I will either put it away or bring out a timer and each child gets 5-10 minutes to play with it before having to pass it on. If they still fight over it though, it gets put away until the next day. I also have to say multiple times a day "find a toy that no one else has right now" to my 4 yr old dcg. She loves to take their toys if she sees they are having fun with it. It's annoying so I know how you feel!! lol

Could he be bored? Does he play with age appropriate toys?

Keep doing what you are doing and do lots of shadowing. He will get it eventually!!

Sadly, I think that in the past, folks have found it easier to throw a different toy at him, than it would be to engage him.

He may be bored, but I think part of that is not knowing how to play. Aside from the cars/trains, he will only play with toys for a short period of time before moving on. He does play with a range of toys, some age appropriate some not, though now that I think about it, he never plays with the dramatic/pretend play toys. I think imaginative play is at a deficit.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Sadly, I think that in the past, folks have found it easier to throw a different toy at him, than it would be to engage him.

He may be bored, but I think part of that is not knowing how to play. Aside from the cars/trains, he will only play with toys for a short period of time before moving on. He does play with a range of toys, some age appropriate some not, though now that I think about it, he never plays with the dramatic/pretend play toys. I think imaginative play is at a deficit.

Does he have any cousins or other family members who are close to his age? He could have some deeper issues but my guess would just be that he doesn't have anyone at home to play with and at daycare, he has "babies" to play with. He hasn't been the given opportunity to develop with kids his own age and hasn't had to learn how to share at home. It's a pretty common thing I have seen with only children.

Hopefully when he goes kindergarten, some of these issues will work themselves out!