Some days, toddlers want you for everything. They want help with a toy. Then a snack. Then they want you to watch. Then they want you to sit. Then they want you to stand up and sit again.
It can feel like you cannot finish one thought.
One thing that helps is giving connection before expecting independence. A few minutes of full attention can sometimes make independent play last longer. This is not spoiling them. This is helping their nervous system settle before asking them to separate.
I like to start by sitting with my child for a short time and saying something simple: "I'm going to play with you for five minutes, then I'm going to make dinner while you keep building."
Then I give a clear job: "Can you make a tower for the animals?" or "Can you sort the blue ones first?"
Toddlers often need help getting started. They are not always trying to interrupt. Sometimes they truly do not know what to do next, or they need a little connection before they can focus.
From a teacher lens, this is similar to scaffolding. We support the beginning of the task, then slowly step back.
Try using a tiny rhythm: connect, name the next step, give a simple job, then return when the timer ends.
This does not work perfectly every time. Nothing with toddlers does. But it helps shift the day from constant reacting to a small routine.
Connection first. Clear task second. Tiny independence after.