It is not an uncommon fact that children learn through play. The only occupation of a young child is play and almost all stages of development that he/she goes through has play as the key element.
What is Play and why is it important in Child Development?
Very simply put, 'play' is a time when we are having fun. Actually it’s more than just fun and games! Play is where a child is being creative and spontaneous. It is where he/she learns to form ideas and act upon them.
Play is important because it is the medium that helps children learn about themselves and the world around them. Play allows them to explore different interests and passions, and encourages interactions, sharing, and socialization to help develop social-emotional skills. Children begin learning life skills through play.
Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics is all about play.
Stages of Play
Play evolves in stages, and you may notice that the way children interact with toys, other children and adults, and even with themselves, change over time. These are the different stages of play that they grow through.
There are six stages of play. All the stages involve exploring, being creative, and having fun!
Unoccupied play (Birth-3 months):
In this stage, the baby makes a lot of movement with his arms and legs, by kicking their legs in the air, reaching out with their arms, etc. This is the first sign of play. They are learning about and discovering how their body moves. You can encourage unoccupied play by letting your
child move as much as he wants to. It also helps not to wrap them up or carry them while they are awake.
Solitary play (Birth-2 years):
The child in this stage is content to play alone and is not interested in playing with children quite yet. When children play alone, they explore the
world around them. They may do this by touching, holding and mouthing things. They also
enjoy hearing their own voice and often keep making noises to themselves.
Onlooker play (2 years):
This is the stage where the child watches other children play. He may look, and sometimes talk to the other players, but does not join them in the actual play activity. This is the first step in learning to play with others and a healthy part of social development.
Parallel play (2-3 years):
Parallel play is when children play independently, next to each
other, but don’t interact with each other or share toys. This is a normal part of the learning-to-play
process. Children in this stage should not be forced to play together.
This will come naturally and with time.
Associative play (3-5 years):
Associative play is when children play together, but have different ideas and goals. A child might be doing an activity related to the other children around him, but might not actually be interacting with them. For example, children might all be playing on the same piece of playground equipment but all doing different things like climbing, swinging, etc. Another example would be, talking to each other and playing with the same toys, but doing different things. Children begin learning to interact with others during play in this stage and this usually happens between 3 and 5 years old. Associative play can be encouraged by taking your
child to a playgroup.
Cooperative play (4+ years):
This is the stage where the child plays with others. He has interest in both the activity and the other children involved in playing. In cooperative play, children start working
together towards a common goal. For instance, building a block tower. This
helps your child to develop social skills. This usually happens between 4 and 6 years old.
"Children learn as they play. More importantly, in play, children learn how to learn."
O. Fred Donaldson
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