Cooperative play age

Stages of play - HSE.ie

As children get older, the way they interact with other people during play will change. These changes are called 'stages of play'.

The 6 stages of play are:

• unoccupied
• playing alone
• onlooker
• parallel
• associative
• cooperative

Each stage is normal.

Every child is different and can go through theses stages at different times. If you are worried about your child, contact your public health nurse (PHN).

Unoccupied

This is when a baby moves for no reason, such as kicking their legs. This is the first sign of play.

You can encourage unoccupied play by letting your child move around. It also helps not to wrap them up while they are awake.

Playing alone

When children play alone, they explore the world around them. They do this by touching and tasting things. They also enjoy hearing their own voice.

You can encourage your child to explore by giving them a variety of safe and age appropriate toys.

Onlooker

This is when a child watches other children play, and does not join in. This is the first step in learning to play with others.

Onlooker play is a normal and a healthy part of development.

Parallel

Parallel play is when children play next to each other, but do not interact. This is a normal part of the learning to play process.

This usually happens between 2 and 3 years old.

Do not force children to play together. This will come with time.

Associative

Associative play is when children play together, but have different ideas and goals. For example, talking to each other and playing with the same toys, but doing different things.

This usually happens between 3 and 5 years old.

You can encourage associative play by taking your child to a playgroup.

Cooperative

Cooperative play is when children start working together towards a common goal. For example, building a block tower. This helps your child to develop social skills.

This usually happens between 4 and 6 years old.

Types of play

How your child learns through play

Page last reviewed: 15 September 2022
Next review due: 15 September 2025

The 6 Stages of How Kids Learn to Play

Play is all about having fun! Any activity, organized or unstructured, your child finds fun and enjoyable is considered play. But play is much more than just a fun activity for your child! As a child grows they go through different stages of play development.

While playing, children learn and develop important skills they will continue to use throughout their lifetime.

Problem solving, creativity, and willingness to take risks are just a few of the skills developed through play.

Is your child under 2 years old? Enter your baby’s birthday to get weekly activities to help meet developmental milestones. 

Children who use their imagination and ‘play pretend’ in safe environments are able to learn about their emotions, what interests them, and how to adapt to situations. When children play with each other, they are given the opportunity to learn how to interact with others and behave in various social situations. Learn more about your child’s social-emotional development.

Be sure to give your child plenty of time and space to play. There are 6 stages of play during early childhood, all of which are important for your child’s development. All of the stages of play involve exploring, being creative, and having fun. This list explains how children’s play changes by age as they grow and develop social skills.

At this stage baby is just making a lot of movements with their arms, legs, hands, feet, etc. They are learning about and discovering how their body moves.

This is the stage when a child plays alone. They are not interested in playing with others quite yet.

During this stage a child begins to watch other children playing but does not play with them.

When a child plays alongside or near others but does not play with them this stage is referred to as parallel play.

When a child starts to interact with others during play, but there is not a large amount of interaction at this stage. A child might be doing an activity related to the kids around him, but might not actually be interacting with another child. For example, kids might all be playing on the same piece of playground equipment but all doing different things like climbing, swinging, etc.

When a child plays together with others and has interest in both the activity and other children involved in playing they are participating in cooperative play.

As your child starts playing with family members and friends, make sure to teach them about sharing and winning and losing.

Play starts when we are babies, but it does not stop there! Including play in your child’s daily routine and giving them time to play is important for their development at every age. These stages are general guidelines for what to expect of your child’s play skills, but remember every child is different and if you have concerns bring them up with your healthcare provider.

Your child makes a lot of changes as they grow. Learn more about how play can change as your little one does.

• How to Play with Blocks at Every Age
• Stages of Peek-a-boo

Sources

6 game stages

25.02.2019

6 play stages

Games for children are not just a way to pass the time, but also a reflection of their development. Scientists identify 6 game stages, each of which has its own significance in the development of the child.

It is important to keep in mind that the development of a child is not always chronologically linear with a clear transition from one stage to another. The child can participate in the games of different stages, returning to those already passed or combining one stage with another.

This type of play is most commonly seen in infants. At this time, the child makes a series of movements and gestures that seem random and do not lead to any goal. These movements are an attempt to learn more about the world around, about movement within this world. This is the initial stage of the game, which lays the foundation for the subsequent development of the child.

This is an independent game in which only the child is involved. He actively interacts with toys, but does not seek company, since social and physical skills for this are not yet sufficiently developed. Playing alone is an important and natural process in a child's life. While other types of play may come into play as they develop, being able to play independently is important at all stages of a child's development. Adults must create conditions conducive to independent play and not disturb its course.

Single play gives the child the opportunity to think, explore and create something new. It stimulates the ability to concentrate, come up with new ideas and control your emotions, develops abstract thinking, language skills and creativity.

For children under two years of age, this type of play is very important, since it is at this time that active knowledge of the world around and each new object in it takes place. If a child at this age does not want to play with others, this does not make him antisocial, this is a natural and necessary period of development. Often a single player game can take place with imaginary friends. Experts call this the transition period from playing alone to playing with other children.

The child is interested in how people and objects around him interact, but does not yet join the play around him. He watches other children and their activities, sometimes even talks to them, but does not join in the joint game.

Often the child chooses a certain group of children and observes them, while he tries to be close to this group in order to be able to hear how the children communicate with each other. The child may ask questions about the game and the participants, even make suggestions, but may not want to actively participate in the game.

Children play side by side using similar toys, but this cannot yet be called play with each other. The child at this stage plays independently, although often imitating the movements and phrases of other children. This stage of development is important for mastering the skills of independent and team work.

Children aged 2-3 often play next to each other. And although from the outside it may seem that they do not pay attention to each other, in fact they are quite attentively watching how the other child interacts with objects. This is how group play skills are laid.

A child at this stage enjoys being with peers and doing similar activities. They play side by side, watching and listening to each other.

A group of children is united by similar goals. They talk and interact with each other, but are not yet in a group game state. They do not define the rules of the game, they often want to play with similar toys. At this stage, children can even swap toys or take turns playing with them, but still play not together, but separately.

Communication between children mainly occurs for the exchange of play items. At this stage, the first manifestations of leadership skills can be clearly seen in some children. In addition, the foundation of friendship and affection is laid. The child begins to actively show his preferences.

Children play in small groups united by one game goal. Each group has at least one leader. It is possible to explicitly determine whether a child is part of a group or not.

The roles in the game are distributed among the participants. Everyone knows the rules of the game and the end result. While playing together, children can compete with each other. At the same time, some may strive to win even to the detriment of the rules of the game, but other children will stop them and return them to the system of rules.

It is necessary to remind children that the essence of the game is in itself, and not just in winning. This will help smooth out the resentment in case of a loss. In addition, a series of victories and defeats helps to better understand the feelings of the other team and develop empathy.

Communication in a joint game is active, as it is necessary to create a common playing space. Children learn to share, to wait their turn, to get acquainted with the concept of delayed gratification. In addition, they agree among themselves: which game to choose, who starts, who is the leader. This is a rather difficult period, because the child will have to learn to control his desires, find compromises, give in to others and prove his point of view.

Playing together serves as an incentive to develop the skills needed in adulthood. This is not a useless pastime at all, but a way to try on different roles and learn more about the world around you and about yourself. After all, as William Shakespeare said: "Our whole life is a game, and the people in it are actors."

Joint family games for children and parents

Internet access makes it possible to get many different cartoons, clips, games and applications in one moment. Parents do not notice how children are drowning in gadgets. But for a child, a live game is also important, since this is one of the main moments of his development, as well as the main activity. The article will talk about what kind of joint games exist for children and parents, and why parents should participate in them.

Family games with children and parents: benefits and types

Playing with a child is not only a fun way to spend time with the family. This is also a great impetus to its development, because in the process of playing, kids develop many skills and abilities:

• Motor skills, sensory and spatial perception.
• Social and communication skills, oral speech.
• Ability to express oneself, use fantasy.
• Independence and curiosity.
• Dexterity, speed, intelligence.
• Memory, attention and other physical and psychological qualities.

In addition, playing together helps to establish contact with the child. When a toddler only interacts with gadgets and their toys, they may start to feel lonely and distant. This can negatively affect closeness in the family. By engaging in activities with your child and giving them enough attention, you help your child build a sense of respect, worth, and simply show them that they are a valued member of the family.

The game helps the child to communicate more correctly, and especially to resolve conflict situations. During the game, you may have various controversial situations. By expressing your opinion, assigning roles and establishing contact, you help your child develop important social skills and adapt more easily to society, because in this way you give him a useful communication experience.

The most important thing is the emotional mood. The game is always a fun activity, so by playing games together, you will help your kid relieve stress after a hard day at school or kindergarten, and also just get emotional release and a long-term positive charge.

There is an unlimited number of different games, the only limit is your imagination and desire to spend time with your child. All of them can be divided into main types:

• Funny games. Every child wants to be loved and noticed. By playing different fun games, you give the baby the opportunity to feel the joy of communicating with parents and doing joint activities. It can be sports, and board games, outdoor activities, or just fun conversations and jokes.
• Educational games. This type is most relevant for preschool children. It is during this period that the child receives the baggage of the necessary knowledge, skills, and also develops his mental and physiological qualities. Educational games are aimed at the comprehensive development of the child and its improvement from all sides - movement skills, memory, attention, counting and reading, etc.

to every child. It is through him that the baby understands that you love him and accept him as a full member of the family. The main feature of the baby is that he takes any attention. For example, if you replace positive attention with negative attention, like: “How many times do I have to tell you!”, “Don’t you understand?” etc., the child will even demand it. Many psychologists and educators have noticed more than once that attention is an important social need of every person.

In addition to attention and signs of love, the main task of the child and parent playing together is to satisfy the baby's need for communication. Psychologist M. I. Lisina notes that: “... in communication itself, an adult, turning to children and responding to their call, makes it possible to experience the sweetness of consolation, for the first time to discover the joy of mutual understanding, incomparable satisfaction from empathy, from a sense of community, the coincidence of one’s own opinions and assessments with the views of a wise and much more experienced older person.

“It is in play that the personality of the child is most fully manifested.” - S. T. Shatsky. This suggests that playing together also helps you learn about your baby's personality development, find and eliminate problem areas, and help your child overcome various kinds of difficulties. All this will be clear in the process of watching the game, which in turn will allow you to become closer to the baby, build trust and understanding with him.

Well, no matter how diverse the virtual world is, it will not be able to replace a loving parent for a child and will not give him the necessary attention, support and assistance in development.

Ideas for joint games for children and parents

It is important not only to know and understand the needs and preferences of your child, but also to see his problem areas that require elaboration or more accurate diagnosis. And already based on these factors, you can proceed to the choice of a joint game. Of course, it is better to try all possible options with the child so that the baby’s activity is interesting, varied for him, and you can consider him from all sides.

Role play

Role play is very useful for a child. It is she who helps him develop important social skills. These are emotions, and cognitive abilities, and oral speech, and just the ability to explore the world. By organizing a role-playing game, you help your child train attention, self-control, and also become more deeply imbued with processes, characters, activities that are interesting for him, etc. The main thing is that the child will enjoy the process itself, since the result is far from the main part of a role play.

Depending on the age of the child, there are several main points for organizing a joint role-playing game:

• 1-2 years old. At this age, all games are based on the child's usual activities - walking, eating, sleeping, etc. Pay attention to how babies repeat all these actions with their favorite toys - feed them, dress them, bathe them, rock them. When organizing a joint game with a baby, you must take this feature into account and build an appropriate scenario.
• 2-3 years. The child develops stable oral speech, the ability to control, understand and correctly express their emotions. All actions in the game, as a rule, are accompanied by comments and are carried out according to the planned plan within the framework of the topic of interest. For example, the baby no longer just takes care of the doll, but also builds dialogues with it, gradually complicates the actions (not just rocking, but preparing the bed, reading a fairy tale).
• Up to 4 years. Here, the environment has a great influence on the game. Most of the games at this age are based on the events that the baby could see in movies, cartoons or real life. An expanded vocabulary, the ability to "play" with intonation, the concept of the time of day, the year make the game more meaningful and varied. An important role is also played by abstract thinking that arrived in time - any object can become a toy.
• 5-6 years old. As the child grows older, with the all-round development of the child, the role-play becomes more difficult. Many characters may already be involved in it, the story may have prerequisites and a likely continuation or end, creative shades appear. Your baby will no longer want to just play in the store. But playing out a shopping trip with the whole family - from planning a shopping list to leaving the store, will already be much more interesting for the baby.

For role play, you can use anything you can imagine. You can buy different costumes, play sets that consist of different items, designers, figurines of people and animals, and much more.

Let's take a look at some examples of products that are great for parent and child role play of any age.

This section contains goods for organizing a puppet theater. All of them are designed with children in mind, so they are completely harmless to your baby. Arrange a joint performance, distributing roles, helping the baby to know the world around him, as well as to establish contact with you.

With the Food in the Basket play set, you can play out several situations: a shop, a reception or a restaurant. Your child will quickly learn the names of products, as well as get acquainted with the features of a number of professions.

Sports games

Many experts recommend introducing a child to sports from early childhood, because physical education is an equally important aspect of the proper development of a child. By playing sports with your baby, you will help him improve his coordination, responsiveness, speed, agility, activity, as well as critical thinking and introspection.

Like any other games, sports can be divided into several categories:

• Exercises and ball games. They have a positive effect on the physical development of the child - the mobility of the joints increases, the muscles of the arms and legs develop, coordination, plasticity. Playing ball, the child makes a large number of body movements in one moment, which gives a significant impetus to the overall development of the nervous system.
• Collective ball games help develop the will, create conditions for improving the skills of analysis, planning and decision-making, communication with team members.
• Physical exercises and outdoor games. Any equipment can be used for them - hoops, skittles, balls, badminton sets, frisbees and much more. It is important to understand that this is a game, not a sport. Your baby should want to play on his own, and should not feel discomfort or fatigue.

You can draw the child's attention to the game and make the process more interesting by introducing various characters. Also, by allowing your baby to use fantasy and imagination, you give him the opportunity to get physical development in a simple way, without straining and not forcing yourself to perform certain actions (unlike simple sports exercises).

In this section you can find a large number of sports equipment for all ages and features. Various shells, balls and other sports equipment are perfect for both playing and for the physical training of the baby.

Board games

With age, the child begins to show interest not only in outdoor games and active physical activity. Developing arbitrary memory and attention, the baby strives for a different knowledge of the world - through reading, watching movies, listening to fairy tales, studying in kindergarten and other ways. In this case, it's time for board games. All of them help in several aspects at once:

• Getting closer to the family.
• Possibility not to get bored in bad weather.
• Development of memory, auditory and visual perception, as well as the ability to focus on one object (on the game itself).

Playing a board game with the whole family, you:

• Create a positive atmosphere in the family circle, endow the child with positive emotions.
• Keep in touch with each other.
• Improve your child's cognitive skills, help him solve various problems, improve his logic and cognitive abilities.
• Help your child relax and reduce stress.
• Prevent nervous system disorders. The mental activity that is triggered by a board game prevents the risk of a host of cognitive disorders, from Alzheimer's disease to dementia and other diseases.

Among the huge variety of board games, the kid may be interested in walking games with chips, cards with riddles and puzzles, and just traditional board games like checkers, dominoes and others.

In the board games section you can find a large number of games for all ages. From simple "walkers" to real checkers, dominoes and other popular games. There are also educational games. The game "Mathematical Pyramid" will help in mastering the account, "Pyramid of Letters" - will teach the kid to write words with unstressed vowels correctly.

Experiments

Every child constantly asks “What?”, “How?”, “Why?”. Toddlers are extremely interested in knowing the world around them in all its manifestations. Any action or object causes a number of questions and misunderstandings in the child, which the baby wants to know as soon as possible.

Experiences and experiments are one of the most interesting ways to get to know the world. They help:

• Develop curiosity.
• Expand the child's horizons and knowledge.
• Improve thinking, logic, intelligence.
• Establish cause and effect relationships.
• Develop perseverance and observation.
• Learn to draw conclusions and analyze the progress and results of activities.

In addition, by conducting joint experiments with your child, you will also be able to establish contact and give him due attention.

It is not necessary to create certain conditions for setting up experiments. You can conduct simple home experiments on mixing non-toxic and non-combustible materials, or use ready-made kits that include all the necessary elements and the equipment required for them.

We have a large number of kits on our website for safe yet impressive experiments. With a set of "Crystal fluffies. Flower" you can experience how to grow a beautiful crystal flower and impress your child. The kit contains everything you need to conduct the experiment, as well as detailed instructions.

Play with toddlers up to 3 years old

At an early age, a child needs much more attention. After all, it is at this time that all the skills are laid, and the acceptance of the family takes place. This is the time to show your baby that he is loved, thereby forming a strong bond with the child.

Particular attention at this age should be given to educational games. This will help the baby learn more about the world around him, as well as facilitate his development.

Speech games

In the period up to three years, the child begins to actively learn oral speech. The desire for communication and attempts to imitate adults are noticeable from the cradle, when the baby utters sets of unrelated sounds. Active games aimed at the development of speech will help the child adapt to society, as well as help him improve memory, logic and attention.

Speech games can be divided into several areas:

• Games for memorizing letters and sounds. Actively develop the speech apparatus and help the child quickly master reading and correct oral speech. Also, with the help of such games, you can detect speech defects and work them out in time.
• Word games help to expand vocabulary, erudition and memory.
• Games where it is important to give complete answers and build sentences will help the kid learn to express his thoughts correctly and correctly in full.

To do this, there are many different sets that come with everything you need. Bright cards with colorful pictures, as well as simple and understandable symbols attract kids and keep them entertained.

In the section "Educational Board Games for Kindergarten Children" you can find a lot of aids for the development of speech. Each game meets the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard, and also has a lot of positive feedback from both teachers and parents. All of them are selected taking into account the level of development of the child and his age characteristics.

Also, speech board games can be found in the section "Didactic toys for kindergarten children".

Active games

In early childhood, a child learns to move. He will have to master the gait, jumping, hand movements. By playing active games, you will give your child the opportunity to quickly learn physical skills and improve existing ones. A large number of active and outdoor games are aimed at improving the speed, coordination, agility, and physical endurance of the child.

By playing active games with your child, you act as an example for him and also provide support. The kid will not be so scared and embarrassed to perform certain actions if he knows that he is in the circle of his family, ready to help at any moment.

You can use the good old games that we pass on to each other from generation to generation - catch-up, "Stop the Earth", "The floor is lava" and others, or diversify them with special sets or sports equipment. As a rule, sets include all the necessary equipment, and also contain detailed instructions for the game.

In the sports equipment section, we have a wide range of products focused on the physical development of the baby - toys, sports equipment and other equipment. All this can be used for active games indoors or outdoors.

Ring toss games are perfect for family fun. Throwing rings, the kid will train his dexterity, speed and reaction time. The game has a competitive element that will motivate your child to improve their physical qualities.

Logic games

Logic is one of the most important skills. It is she who helps in solving many everyday problems and issues. It is important at work, in training and in other activities. Therefore, when playing with a young child, do not forget about logic games.

Logic game activates the activity of the cerebral cortex and develops several qualities of the child at once:

• memory;
• attention;
• cleverness.

In the course of a logic game, the moment of rapprochement between the child and the parent is not so important. You act as a curator or assistant, pushing the baby to the correct answers.

Logic games include a lot of board games with cards, as well as different sets for studying counting, reading, memorizing colors and shades, as well as sets aimed at the ability to classify objects, combine and sort them.

A lot of products that are ideal for logic games are located in the "Children's educational puzzles" section. You can pick up puzzles on different topics, for different ages and individual characteristics.

In the "Developing logic games for children" section, you can find a lot of games with cards and tasks that will allow you to have fun and useful time with your baby.

Creative games

Every child can have a brilliant artist, writer or artist. By creating an environment conducive to creative development, you give the child the opportunity to discover and develop any talent in himself. Creative games are great for this. But when organizing such activities, it is worth remembering that this is not just fun entertainment, but the same development of the child as logical or physical.

To this end, child psychologists have developed many games and aids that help children and their parents to discover and develop their creative abilities. These include various coloring books, drawing sets, books, etc.

During creative play, you can act as an assistant, thereby helping your child to identify and develop his talent. Also, you can be a participant in the process, thereby getting closer to the baby.

The Flight of Fantasy double-sided easel will help you discover and develop your child's talent. Copy each other's drawings, come up with your own stories or just improvise, developing the child's creativity.

You can see this and other creative products in the "Children's Art Sets" section.

Helpful tips for parents

By following these rules, you will be able to have fun and benefit your baby and other family members:

• When starting a game, it is important to remember that all attention should be paid to it. You should not be distracted by extraneous matters. Show your child how important it is for you to spend time together and help him.
• Eliminate criticism, condemnation and comparison. Remember that this is a game, even if it requires certain results.
• Agree with your child about the safety of the game - no one harms themselves and others, as well as surrounding objects.
• The game must be continuous from start to finish. If during the game you realize that you do not like it, stop or change it only if the child comes to it himself.
• The child is a full participant in the game process. He has the right to his opinion and decision-making during the game. Even if they don't match yours.
• Generous positive feedback with detailed comments will help to overcome conflicts, as well as give the child strong motivation to play itself, as well as to develop and improve the positive points you voiced.
• Strictly observe assigned roles.
• If your baby screams or frightens you during play, exaggerate your fear. If the child is happy, share the joy with him. Join the game and vividly demonstrate your emotions and involvement in the process.
• The child may use play to defuse accumulated resentment, fear or anger. In this case, you should not interfere with him. Let the baby fully discharge.
• Set the time frame for the game.

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