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

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 children's early development, research supports something called "guided play," which is not total "free play," nor is it top-down explicit instruction. It's a middle ground, where your child is still leading their play, but you stay close to offer some context, vocabulary, knowledge when the moment calls for it. We do have a role in play, and as always, it's nuanced. Show NotesWe are two moms who met on Instagram years ago and quickly bonded over our love of the Montessori philosophy applied to parenting and over nerdy child development research. We decided to take the leap by finally taking our chats out of our DMs and inviting you to listen along as we chat about all things motherhood.Gloria is a former 1st grade public school teacher turned SAHM and now Montessori homeschooling mom to her 6 and 4.5 year old. She mentors parents on Montessori homeschooling online and has created multiple masterclasses for parents and educators on how to teach children to read at a foundational level. You can find more about her mentorship program by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠ ⁠and more about her masterclasses and other printables she has created for homeschoolers by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠. ⁠You can find her on Instagram ⁠@MontessoriMamaLife⁠Jenna is a mom of three, communications strategist and child development writer. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a specialization in sociology, she began her career in newsrooms and nonprofits before discovering her true calling in education. She partners with Montessori school teams to strengthen their outreach, refine family communications, and foster deeper connections between parents and educators. You can follow her musings on Instagram ⁠@holdingspacemontessori. ⁠