One of the first things I searched for in my quest to become a play connoisseur was “how does play develop”. This question brought up a ton of suggestions. The internet is good at doing that.
The Oxford Dictionary defines play as [a verb] “engagement in an activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than serious or practical purposes and [a noun] an activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, especially by children.”
In 1932, Mildred Parten studied a small group of toddlers/preschoolers in a nursery school at the University of Minnesota [think modern-day daycare setting]. I will also link this article in the show notes. She observed them during free-play time and divided play into 6 stages of social play development.
- Unoccupied Play (0-3 months)
- Solitary Play (0-2 years)
- Spectator Play (2 years)
- Parallel Play (2+ years)
- Associative Play (3-4 years)
- Cooperative Play (4 years and up)
Once we’ve determined how a child plays, we can better plan our therapy sessions. Remember- starting with tasks you know the child can be successful at is important. We want to build their confidence and to do that; we give them activities we know they can accomplish.
