Handout # 2
A Great Place for Kids, Session 1
CCPDI, OCC, CCR&R Career Ladder Core Training, page 1
Play and Children’s Social Development
Mildred Parten
Researcher Mildred Parten suggested that children’s social
development is mirrored by their play. After studying the
social play of children ages two to five years, Parten
identified four developmental stages of play. Once a child
has developed the ability to participate in a stage of play,
he or she may use various forms and different
combinations of that stage, and preceding stages,
throughout the day.
Solitary Play – A child plays alone with little or no reference to what other
children are doing.
Parallel Play – Though using similar toys, a child plays beside, rather than with
the other children.
Associative Play – Children play together but do not organize their play toward
a common goal.
Cooperative Play – The beginnings of “team work;” children play together for a
common purpose.
Parten also identified two additional play categories:
Unoccupied Behavior – A child is not engaged in play.
Onlooker Behavior – A child observes the play of others.
“Play is not a luxury but rather a crucial dynamic of healthy physical, intellectual, and
social-emotional development at all age levels.”
-- David Elkind
Handout # 2
A Great Place for Kids, Session 1
CCPDI, OCC, CCR&R Career Ladder Core Training, page 2
Play and Children’s Social Development
Opportunities for social play provide optimal experiences for children to
develop and practice social skills they will use throughout life. Among those
skills developed and practiced in social play are:
• Cooperation and teamwork
• Communication
• Negotiation and
compromise
• Following directions
• Taking turns
• Sharing
• Waiting
• Self-reliance
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Empathy
Social interaction
Problem solving
Self-expression
Self-confidence
Flexibility
Respect for others
Standing up for rights
Self-control
There are many ways you can encourage social play in your child care setting.
A few suggestions follow:
9 Encourage and support dramatic play opportunities by providing space,
props and ample time for pretend play.
9 Place two easels side-by-side to encourage communication during paint
projects. Two pairs of binoculars placed near a window encourage
children to connect as they check out the view outside. Consider how
else you could strategically place equipment to encourage social
interaction.
9 A talking tube isn’t much fun without a friend on the other end. Can
you think of other toys that promote social play?
“It’s not so much what children learn through play, but what they won’t learn if we don’t give
them the chance to play. . . many coping skills like compassion, self-regulation, selfconfidence, the habit of active engagement, and the motivation to learn. . .cannot be
instructed. They can only be learned through self-directed experience (i.e. play).”
-- Susan J. Oliver, Playing for Keeps