Play Time

Toddlers may find themselves lacking time to explore the world through free play as more and more extra-curricular activities for them spring up; parents feel compelled to join most, if not all, of them; and the standard age for school entry gets younger and younger. This is not to mention virtual playtime, which also takes away a toddler’s time otherwise spent for exploring his or her environment. But then again, playing is as crucial to child development as breathing is to every human being.

Children go through different phases of play development. These phases are, to some extent, chronological, but older children may revert to a simpler form of play without any indication of developmental delay or immaturity. The type of playing is largely determined by the personality of the child, the type of game and factors in the environment such as physical obstacles and space. Toddlers go through the following stages of play:

• Unoccupied play – in this type of play, your toddler may seem uninvolved, but he or she is observing the environment and making decisions about what to play with or whether to join the other children in the play area. Some children may need more time than others to observe. Never force your child to participate.
• Solitary play – this type of play occurs when a child is focused on his or her own activity and is oblivious to what other children or adults are doing.
• Onlooker play – during this type of play a child observes what other children are doing and comments on their play or interacts with them without joining their activity.
• Parallel play – in this type of play a child plays side by side but separately from other children. He or she may mimic their actions or make occasional comments about their game, but is essentially playing on his or her own. This is the type of play activity that toddlers at this stage of development engage in most.                                                                             

Soon your toddlers will display signs of imaginary play—where they will construct a world or game in their head and act out certain parts of it in reality. Later on, your children will also learn to play cooperatively with other children. However, during this stage of their development, focus on giving them as much opportunity to play as possible and give them the freedom to play with the toys as they see fit.