The Importance of Play

Learning does not only come from reading books. Play is vitally important to a child’s learning and development; so much so that the World Health Organisation have deemed it the right of every child. Not only does it allow them to explore and understand the world around them, it promotes all manner of cognitive, social, emotional and physical development, all of which are necessary to master. This learning takes place as soon as the child is born, beginning with the most basic of learning: through their senses.

There are six types of play:

• Unoccupied Play (Birth – 3 months)

This is the first and most basic type of play you will see in your baby. Here you will see them kicking their arms and legs, shaking rattles for no other purpose than to hear a noise, feeling new textures, etc. They are, in effect, occupying themselves for no other reason than it interests them and makes them feel good. At this stage of play everything is amazing because it’s all new to your baby so provide toys with different textures and colours. However, avoid those that have bright lights or loud noises as this may startle them.

• Independent or Solitary Play (Birth – 2 years)

The next stage of play is one where your little one learns to occupy themselves regardless of what you or other children are doing. Whether it be by quietly looking at books or running around the room pretending to be an airplane, in this type of play they learn to be comfortable in their own company.

• Onlooker Play (2 years)

As the name suggests, during this stage of play your child will enjoy observing others at play but won’t actually join in. This is the first stage of learning how to play with other children and is an incredibly important skill to have at school and, indeed, throughout life. Observations are not limited to children either. They will also observe adults ‘at play.’

• Parallel Play (2+ years)

They are still learning how to relate to other children so here your child will play alongside another as opposed to with them. Toys that can be shared (such as building bricks, ‘dens’, etc.) are ideal.

• Associative Play (3-4 years)

During this stage there is more of a social element to your child’s play. They will play with other children but their play will not necessarily share the same goals. For example, your child may be making a car with Duplo but another child may be building a tower.

Photo courtesy of National Cancer Institute (Unsplash)

• Cooperative Play (4+ years)

  This is the final stage of play, one in which teamwork begins to develop, and children share a common goal. Being able to cope with this type of play sets them up for their whole future because once mastered, they can handle everything from interacting with others in a classroom to socializing and communicating for a socially successful life.

Every activity your children occupies themselves with will develop a skill set, or many, but by presenting them with a particular activity you are able to influence what is developed (an example of activities for each stage of play can be found here). So whether playing by themselves or with other children or adults, play is vitally important to a child’s development.