Play is more than mere fun—it plays an essential role in how children learn and grow. Through play, children explore their world, develop new skills, and enhance their cognitive abilities.
As children grow, they move through various stages of play, each marking a significant step in their development. Each stage builds on the previous one, offering unique benefits essential for a child’s holistic development.
In this article, we’ll discuss the important types of play in child development and how children learn through play. This can give you insights into their developmental milestones and help you provide the best opportunities for learning and growth.
Table of Contents
The Four Stages of Cognitive Development
Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, is renowned for his pioneering work in child development, particularly his theory of cognitive development. He believed that children progress through distinct stages of cognitive development, each characterised by different ways of thinking and understanding the world.
Piaget also emphasised the role of play when children learn. He identified four stages of cognitive development that align with different types of play:
- Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years)
- Preoperational stage (2 to 7 years)
- Concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years)
- Formal operational stage (11 years and older)
These stages reflect how children’s play evolves as they grow and learn more about their world. In this article, we’ll focus on sensorimotor and preoperational play, as it applies to the age range of children who attend Kiddie Garden.
The 6 Stages of Play in Early Childhood
As children grow, they progress through six important stages of play. Every child is different, but these stages offer a general guide to understanding how kids learn to play and develop social and cognitive skills.
- Unoccupied Play: At this stage, play may not look like play. Newborns engage in random movements, helping to develop motor skills.
- Solitary Play: As children play alone, they explore their surroundings and interests independently.
- Spectator Play: Children observe others playing, learning through observation before they join in.
- Parallel Play: Kids begin to play alongside others without direct interaction.
- Associative Play: During this stage, children start to interact and play with other children, sharing toys and ideas.
- Cooperative Play: Play becomes more complex, as kids work together on shared goals, learning cooperation and teamwork.
Depending on your culture, children may also engage in ritual play, such as a birthday celebration or religious observance. This is rare, and more common in adults.
Learning How to Play: Birth to 2 Years
Play during the sensorimotor stage is primarily exploratory and sensory-based. Infants engage in sensory play with toys, such as banging objects, shaking rattles, and putting things in their mouths to learn about their environment.
They also participate in repetitive actions, such as dropping objects and picking them up again, which helps them understand cause and effect.
Toward the end of this stage, pretend play begins to emerge as children start to imitate actions they have observed (e.g., pretending to talk on a phone). They also develop object permanence (understanding that objects continue to exist even when they can’t be seen).
Stages of sensorimotor play include:
Unoccupied Play
Unoccupied play, seen in newborns, involves random movements that support brain development. This doesn’t always look like play, but through these actions, babies develop motor skills, coordination, and an understanding of their environment. This play also helps with self-soothing and early communication.
Solitary Play and Self-Discovery
Solitary play, where children play alone, helps them explore interests, develop independence, and build problem-solving skills. It encourages creativity, confidence, and cognitive development by allowing children to focus and complete tasks on their own. Solitary play also supports emotional regulation and prepares children for more complex social play.
Preoperational Stages of Play: 2-7 Years
Onlooker Play and Observation
Onlooker play may involve children watching others without participating, helping them learn social interactions and the rules of games. Through observation, they develop social skills like turn-taking and communication, while also gathering ideas for their own play. This stage can ease anxiety about joining group activities and prepare them for active participation.
Parallel Play and Emerging Socialisation
Parallel play, common in toddlers, involves children playing alongside each other without direct interaction. It marks the start of socialisation. Children become aware of peers and observe behaviours of others, while focusing on their own activities. This play fosters independence, while building early social skills and a sense of companionship.
Associative Play and Collaboration
Associative play involves children playing separately but interacting by sharing toys and talking. It helps develop communication, negotiation, and sharing skills, laying the foundation for empathy. This type of play supports emotional development through social interaction and enhances cognitive skills like problem-solving.
Cooperative Play and Teamwork
Cooperative play involves children working together toward a common goal, such as building projects or team sports. It helps develop communication, teamwork, and responsibility, while also strengthening emotional skills like empathy and conflict resolution. This stage fosters a sense of community and shared achievement.
Children typically start engaging in cooperative play around the age of 4 to 5 years. At this stage, they have developed more advanced social and communication skills, allowing them to work together with others toward a common goal.
By this age, they are able to understand shared rules, negotiate roles, and collaborate with peers in group activities.
Constructive and Symbolic Play
Constructive and symbolic play enhances cognitive skills, motor abilities, and creativity. Activities like building with blocks, solving puzzles, and using LEGO sets help develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. These tasks encourage problem-solving, logical thinking, and spatial awareness, while boosting self-esteem as children complete projects and feel a sense of accomplishment.
Constructive play begins in early toddlerhood (around age 2), and symbolic play, like imaginative role-playing, becomes more prominent in the preoperational stage (ages 2 to 7). These stages of play continue to develop as children grow and refine their motor and cognitive skills.
Imagination and Role Play
Symbolic play, such as dramatic or pretend play, allows children to use their imagination to transform objects and take on different roles, like a doctor or superhero. This creative play enhances language skills, and social interaction, teaching children to cooperate and understand social cues.
It also fosters emotional intelligence by helping children express emotions, practice empathy, and explore different perspectives. Through imaginative fantasy play, children build problem-solving skills, confidence, and emotional and social growth.
Physical, Social, and Dramatic Play
Physical play has a central role in helping children learn and develop motor skills, including both fine and gross motor functions. There are many types of physical play, and activities like tummy time, crawling, and outdoor play help strengthen muscles, coordination, and spatial awareness, laying the foundation for movements like running, jumping, and climbing.
Handling small objects during play enhances fine motor skills, improving coordination and dexterity for everyday tasks such as writing and buttoning clothes.
As children grow, social and dramatic play offer valuable opportunities to develop their imagination, communication, and emotional skills. Engaging in dramatic play, where children role-play different scenarios, boosts creativity and empathy.
They practice social interaction, sharing, and conflict resolution, which are key for building relationships and understanding others’ perspectives.
Social play further reinforces these skills, helping kids learn to work together, take turns, and collaborate toward shared goals. Through activities like playing with others or negotiating roles in a game, children develop problem-solving abilities and experience real-life social dynamics.
The combination of physical and social play strengthens their body and ability to interact with the world and people around them.
Structured Versus Unstructured Play
Children benefit from both structured and unstructured play, as each offers unique opportunities for development.
Structured play, like organised sports and board games, helps your child develop cognitive skills, teamwork, attention span, and social interaction. This is also a form of competitive play.
Unstructured play, such as building with blocks or spontaneous outdoor adventures, encourages creativity, problem-solving, and independence. It allows children to explore their interests freely, fostering social-emotional growth and development.
Incorporating many types of play in early childhood ensures well-rounded development and prepares children for various life challenges.
Influence of Toys and Environment
Toys and play environments play a key role in child development. Different toys offer unique educational benefits, while the environment affects attention span, safety, and engagement.
Toys like blocks, puzzles, and Legos enhance fine motor skills and problem-solving, while make-believe toys, such as dolls and action figures, develop social and emotional skills. Music and songs support language and auditory development. Choose age-appropriate, safe toys that challenge without overwhelming.
Both indoor and outdoor environments offer distinct benefits. Outdoor spaces encourage physical activity and risk-taking, while indoor areas can enhance cognitive skills and creativity. A stimulating, safe, and varied environment supports attention, engagement, and a balance of solitary and group play.
Incorporating Play in Early Childhood Education
Incorporating play into educational settings enhances learning and development. At Kiddie Garden, we use educational play to support various stages of cognitive development, from the sensorimotor stage in toddlers to the preoperational stage in preschool children.
In Australia, the Early Years Learning Framework highlights play as essential for school readiness. As educators, we use play-based learning to teach fundamental skills. For instance, incorporating group play in the curriculum encourages teamwork and communication.
Games with rules can be used to teach academic concepts in a fun and engaging way. We have many play corners in classrooms allowing children to explore different subjects through hands-on activities. This method supports cognitive development and keeps children engaged in academic learning.
Supporting Child Development Through Play
There is no single way in which a child plays. Play can take many forms, and its role in early childhood is complex and multifaceted. Every child is different, and their journey through the various stages of play reflects their unique development. By examining the many different types of play, we can better support their growth, learning, and social development.
One key aspect of children’s play is that it allows them to explore and make sense of the world. Play becomes a vehicle for children to experiment with new ideas, challenge their cognitive abilities, and express their emotions. The types of play vary greatly depending on a child’s stage of play, and it is important to offer varied opportunities for kids to learn as they progress through these stages.
Parents and caregivers play an essential role in fostering emotional, cognitive, and language skills through play. By offering love, attention, and diverse play activities, they support creativity, problem-solving, and social learning. Regular interaction during play builds confidence and reinforces learning.
Educators can support development by incorporating both structured and unstructured play in the classroom. Tailoring activities to individual needs through observation promotes creativity and critical thinking, while creating an inclusive and engaging play environment benefits all children.
