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

There are 6 stages of play. They are:

1. Unoccupied

2. Playing alone

3. Onlooker

4. Parallel

5. Associative

6. Cooperative

Each stage is normal.

1. 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. 👶🏼🌯🚫

2. Playing alone-When children play alone, they will explore the world around them. They do this by touching 👋🏻 and tasting 👅 things. They will also enjoy hearing their own voice👂🏼You can encourage your child to explore by giving them a variety of safe and age appropriate toys 🧸🪁👦🏼

3. Onlooker-This is when a child watches other children play, and doesn’t join in. This is the first step in learning to play with others. 👀 Onlooker play is a normal and a healthy part of development.🫣👁

4. Parallel- Parallel play is when children play next to each other, but don’t interact. This is a normal part of the learning to play process. This usually happens between 2 and 3 years old. You should not force children to play together. This will come with time.🪀🎮👦🏼🚂👧🏿

5. 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. 👧🏽🧒🏼🪆👦🏿👧🏻

6. Cooperative-Cooperative play is when 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. 🧱🗣👧🏼👦🏻