Play boosts creativity, and provides a foundation for a child to explore the world. Whether it is a baby learning to hold their head up and visually track toys, a toddler stacking blocks, or a child climbing into a tree fort, play allows for learning.
Play connects children to their caregivers and peers, and allows for shared enjoyment of an activity. In play, children can become wild animals or superheroes, which builds their imagination and sense of self. Children problem solve through play, learning how to stack blocks without accidentally making the tower fall down, and learning how to successfully push a car down a ramp.
From the moment they are born, children move through different "stages" of play that allow them to connect with others and explore the world around them. There are many different stages of play (and not a consensus on how many exist!), and we are going to look at an introduction to the main types of social play, and how we as caregivers and professionals can aid our child in the pursuit of successful playtimes.
Unoccupied Play (0-3 months): This is the first type of play that occurs after a baby is born, and involves infants learning about their bodies and the space around them through kicking and moving their arms and legs. These movements may look random and uncoordinated, but they are actually a foundational play stage.
Independent Play: This type of play generally begins when a baby learns how to hold his or her head up and is able to be put on a play mat (near the caregiver for supervision) to learn to explore playing by themselves. The best way to support a baby in this is to provide preferred toys nearby and allow them to engage with them for a few minutes at a time, either in sitting, on their tummies (prone), or on their backs (supine).
Onlooker Play: This play stage involves a toddler demonstrating interest in what others are playing with, such as siblings or peers, but not making a direct effort to join in on the play.
Parallel Play: Parallel play is a foundational play stage for future social interaction, in that the toddler is playing side by side another toddler. While these toddlers may not be directly interacting, they are paying attention to each other's play, and will often imitate each other.
Associative Play: This play stage seems similar to parallel play, but the children playing next to each other begin to engage together more directly, and usually verbal communication is occurring. This is often seen in preschool-aged children, but can begun as young as 2 years old.
Cooperative (or Social) Play: This type of play involves the child showing interest in playing with another child, and interacts with the child directly and consistently while engaging in the same activity.
There are several other types of play, including: symbolic play (using an object to represent another object, such as a hairbrush being a microphone or a banana being a phone), constructive play (using material to build or create something), and imaginative play (playing dress up, being a super hero).
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