15. Have We Overcomplicated Play by Fixating on "Independent Play?" Co-Host and Play Mentor Jenna Adds Nuance

About this episode

Jenna discusses the nuances of independent play and the importance of guided play in child development.

In the past decade, "Independent Play" has become a buzzword on social media, where parents of young children can't scroll their feeds for more than a few minutes without being hit by tips, downloads, and toy recommendations promising to help their littles finally play more without so much parent involvement . After years working as a writer, editor and content creator on parenting and play, including a season at the child development and play company Lovevery, Inc . and the parenting support app Joy Parenting Club , co-host Jenna started to notice a gap between influencer tips and qualified expert tips when it came to play time. The internet started broadly telling parents to do less — advice that can be helpful for those who lean overly involved. But there’s also a large group of parents who lean permissive/uninvolved and need a different nudge: one that encourages them to engage more thoughtfully. In this episode, Jenna adds a ton of nuance and reassurance around how independent play is great, but there's also just play – which takes so many forms and won't always be "solo" in order to be child-led. Further, where the goal is purposeful play to aid our…

People in this episode

Host: Gloria

Guest: Jenna

Topics covered

• independent play
• parenting
• child development
• guided play
• play engagement

Keywords

• independent play
• guided play
• parenting tips
• child development
• play engagement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lovevery, Inc., Joy Parenting Club

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