Social Stages of Play

1. Unoccupied Play (Birth - 3 Months)

2. Solitary Play (Birth - 2 Years)

The baby is exploring his limbs to discover his body movement.

Typical Emergence

The child plays alone as they are not interested in playing with others or not aware of what others are doing. The child does not get close to or interact with other children. Solitary play should be encouraged as it builds skills of independence.

3. Spectator/Onlooker Behavior (2 Years)The child will watch other children play, but does not play with them.

4. Parallel Play (2-3.5 Years)The child plays next to or near others but does not play with them (no interaction). Often mimicking each other, but not talking to each other during play. They may be using the same toys.

5. Associative Play (3-4.5 Years)The child begins to truly play with others. They may share toys, but play with the toys in their own way. The child becomes interested in the others playing and interacts with them, however, their play is not coordinated with them. There are no set rules for play.

6. Cooperative Play (4-5.5 Years)The highest level of social play. The child plays together with others (in groups) and is interested in the other children and the activity. There are set rules and children work together as a team. The play is organized and the participants have assigned roles. Play involves negotiation and turn taking.

Based on Mildred Parten's Stages of Play (1932) She believed that children's development of social skills was shown in the way they play.

6a. Games with Rules (6+ Years)Part of cooperative play. Games include winners and losers with rules made up by the child.

Created by Meg Hennings from Extra in the Ordinary

Types of PlayAges 1-12 Months - Exploratory/Sensorimotor PlayPlay includes exploring toys and bonding with caregivers. The baby will play using repetitive movements to stimulate sounds, movement, and touch. Engage in back-and-forth interactions with caregivers. Additional Play Schemes at this age: Singing, smiling back and forth

Typical Development

Ages 12-18 Months - Functional/Relational PlayThe toddler will use toys based on their function. Learn through play with cause-and-effect toys and events (i.e. "fill & dump", turning knobes, noisy/light-up toys, pushing car, stirring with spoon). Relational play uses two objects together (i.e. Pour into a cup, put a toy person in a car and push) Additional Play Schemes at this age: Social games such as peek-a-boo and patty-cake, will ask for help if toy not working

Ages 18-24 Months -Symbolic/Pretend & Simple Construction PlaySymbolic/Pretend Play:The toddler will make different objects perform actions outside of the function of the toy (i.e. playing a fork like a kazoo; pretends to pour tea from a teapot for others to drink). Simple Construction Play: Construct something out of a toy to represent an object (i.e. making a bridge/road out of blocks). Additional Play Schemes at this age: Solitary play, social play (imitate others), big movements, sequencing events with toys (multi-step play scheme i.e. cut up pretend food, put in pot, stir, serve; by age 3), using multiple toys in a play scheme. At 30-36 months, may act out familiar routines.

Ages 5-7 Years - Dramatic and Complex Constructive PlayDuring the early elementary years, children use their fine motor skills to make more realistic models of objects out of different toys (i.e. Legos) which is more complex constructions. Children also become more dramatic in their play by making up pretend scenarios, playing different roles, telling stories, and taking more risks with play (i.e. more danger in sports like skateboarding).

Ages 6-7+ Years - Play and Games with RulesDuring later elementary school years, rules in play predominate. Rules can be official rules (those written for a board game) or unofficial rules (those made up by the children).

Created by Meg Hennings from Extra in the Ordinary

Note: Solitary play often for first 2 years of life as well as sensorimotor play. The shift from solitary play to parallel play occurs between ages 2 and 4. Symbolic/Pretend and Simple Construction Play continues on through the Preschool Years (2.5 - 5 years).

Note: Around age 4, play shifts from parallel play to associative play. Children should be participating in associative play by age 7.

Note: Games with rules are a component of cooperative play. Cooperative play can emerge in the preschool/early elementary years, however, the shift from associative play to cooperative play may occur later (age 7).

ResourcesMama OT. (2016). The Developmental Progression of Play Skills. Retrieved from http://mamaot.com/developmental-progression-of-play-skills/

Markham Stouffville Hospital Child Development Programs. (n.d.). Stages of Development of Social Play. Retrieved from http://childdevelopmentprograms.ca/elearning-modules/the- power-of- play/story_content/external_files/Developmental%20Milestones%20of%20Social%20Play%20a nd%20Sharing.pdf

North Shore Pediatric Therapy. (2015). From Stacking Blocks to Tea Parties: The Development of Play. Retrieved from https://nspt4kids.com/parenting/from-stacking- blocks-to-tea-parties-the-development-of-play/

Ann and Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. (2018). Play Developmental Milestones. Retrieved from https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/specialties- conditions/pediatric-occupational-therapy/developmental-milestones/play-developmental- milestones/

Created by Meg Hennings from Extra in the Ordinary