Stages of Play
Play can be defined as a purposeless activity that is fun to do.
You play simply because it is enjoyable and brings pleasure. For children, play can create a sense of community and belonging, it helps kids develop empathy, flexibility and problem solving skills. When children play together it helps them develop a wide range of social skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. The stages of play are 6 developmental play stages that children go through during early childhood. The below list gives a brief overview of each stage and shows how play changes and develops throughout the early years.
Unoccupied Play (birth-3 months)
Play starts at birth! Think about all the random movement a baby makes with their arms, legs, and head. This is the very beginning of play- understanding how their body works and moves.
Solitary Play (birth-2 years)
This is when a child plays alone. Solitary play starts in infancy and goes up until the toddler years. When children are engaged in solitary play they are not usually aware of other children playing near by. This builds a foundation for being able to play alone and entertain themselves throughout childhood.
Onlooker Play (2 years)
During this stage children are aware of others playing and begin to watch them. In this stage a child might ask questions or make comments about another child’s play but they do not join in. Many children will continue to engage in onlooker play periodically throughout childhood.
Parallel Play (2+ years)
This is the most common type of play to see in toddlers. Parallel play is when children play alongside each other without any interaction. They are aware of their peers and want to be near them but they are not playing together. This is a building block for more complex social play.
Associative Play (3-4 years)
At this stage you will notice that children start to interact with each other and begin to become more interested in their peers as opposed to their primary focus being toys. During associative play children will play with similar toys and will talk to each other but there is no formal organization or rules.
Cooperative Play (4+ years)
Cooperative play is when children have an interest in both the toys/activity and the other children playing. At this stage children start to share ideas and create rules and goals related to their games. This might look like working together to build something or playing a turn taking game.
As children move through the stages of play their play becomes more complex and they seek more and more interaction with others. Remember that it’s important to allow your child unstructured time to just play because this is how they learn.