Raising Good Humans Independent Play, Play Pockets, and What to Do When Your Child Says “I’m Bored” with Lizzie Assa
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Jan 2, 2026 Lizzie Assa, an education expert and author, discusses the power of independent play. She highlights its role in building resilience, creativity, and executive function. Lizzie explains how to respond to kids saying, 'I’m bored,' encouraging parents to view this as a call for connection. She offers practical tips like setting up 'play pockets' and ensures that toys are within easy reach to foster independence. Plus, she emphasizes the importance of unscheduled downtime and redefining boredom as a positive signal for growth.
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What Independent Play Really Is
- Independent play is child-led play where the child's ideas drive the activity rather than adult-directed entertainment.
- Lizzie Asa says this fosters executive function, creativity, and persistence by letting kids lead and learn from mistakes.
Unstructured Play Builds Core Skills
- Over-scheduling kids with enrichments can reduce opportunities to practice self-starting and creative problem-solving.
- Lizzie Asa reminds parents independent play builds the very skills they hope structured activities will provide.
Start Small With Babies
- Start building independent play skills from infancy by observing and reflecting what the baby notices instead of immediately directing play.
- Lizzie Asa recommends small shifts in adult behavior to let the child run the show and build play confidence.
