The Play & Social Behaviors of Preschoolers

Preschool Children’s Social/Manipulative Play Stages:

•       Onlooker – Watching others play

•       Solitary – Alone, occupied with play

•       Parallel – Alongside another

•       Associative – Related play theme

•       Cooperative – Sharing materials and sustaining play theme

•       Functional – repeat actions

•       Constructive – produces a product

•       Dramatic – pretend

•       Games with Rules – control and order

Preschool Children’s Dramatic Play Stages:

•       Functional (Driving a car; feeding a baby)

•       Relational (Representing a family member or pet)

•       Stereotypic (Predictable based on occupation)

•       Fictional (Taken from a story or movie; superhero)