You can also opt for "token economy" method. This is giving rewards for going out and playing. You can give her a star for each time she goes out to play and after say "x" number of stars you can give her a reward. The rewards need not be monetary or anything expensive but some small things like an eatable that she loves or taking her for a drive etc.

You can push your child to play by getting her games that stimulate her vocabulary skills, puzzles, etc.

Pre-Teens (10 years and above)

Geeta Nair, a mother of a eleven year old says, "My daughter does go out with her friends. But they do not play, instead they sit in one place or stand or simply walk around to talk. They do not play but act as if they are grown-ups. When we try to push them to play they get irritated. When at home, they surf the internet and keep eating junk food."

Getting pre teens to play is the most difficult part. This age group is when children are more likely to stay glued to their computers apart from the television and if they are pushed too hard they may get irritated and may rebel against you.

You need to be very careful and very cautious while you try to explain to them. You can try to explain the importance of playing and having friends in their life. You can also try to explain that physical activity is a must and that lack of proper physical activity can make her obese and obesity can lead to many health issues in the future. You can also tell her that playing out will get her friends. Friends will help her when ever she needs any help.

In case your child is fond of reading, you can tell them that friends will exchange books and they can have a circulating library if they want to.

In case you go for morning walks or jogs, you can take your child along. This also has an advantage. If your child sees you going for a walk or a jog, she will also take the initiate to go out.

So if you do not initiate and help your child learn to interact with other kids and start playing, she will never learn.

(With inputs from Dr. Jyoti Maheshwari, a psychologist, Mumbai)