23/06/2021
Influential sociologist Mildred Parten was an early advocate for the benefits of play. Her work revealed 6 stages of play that children take part in. While these stages are usually progressive, they may occur simultaneously. Skills developed by children during the early stages of play build upon each other progressively. Here’s a detailed explanation of each stage of play:
🧸 Unoccupied play (0-3 months). Is when babies make movements with their arms, hands, legs and feet without purpose. They are exploring how their body moves and learn to observe the world around them.
🧸 Solitary play (0-2 years). Is exactly what it sounds like - your child playing alone. At this stage, they are not yet interested in playing with others. It teaches children to keep themselves entertained with toys they like.
🧸 Onlooker play (2 years). Is when a child observes other children playing but are not interested in playing with others quite yet. Watching others play helps build the child’s confidence. The child also feels the need to learn rules and language.
🧸 Parallel play (2+ years). Is when a child plays side by side with another child but does not play together with them. They each still play in their own little worlds. Social contact may seem minimal in this scenario but your child is truly paying attention to what others are doing and can imitate their form of play. It helps them build awareness.
🧸 Associative play (3-4 years). Is when a child starts interacting with others during play but not much cooperation is needed. Skills such as socialization and problem-solving develops at this stage. An example includes children building with blocks.
🧸 Cooperative play (4+ years). Is when children play with others and has interest in both the activity and other children involved. It gives children the opportunity to put together all social skills learned previously. An example includes having fun in an outdoor activity.
*It is important to note that every child develops at their own pace. Hence, they may engage in a play stage earlier or later than the mentioned ages.