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9 Mo.
- Awareness that objects exist when not seen: finds toys hidden under scarf.
- Means-end behavior – crawls or walks to get what he wants: pulls string toys.
- Does not mouth or bang all toys – some used appropriately.
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13 Mo.
- Purposeful exploration of toys: discovers operation of toys through trial and error: uses variety if motoric schemas.
- Hands toys to adult if unable to operate.
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17 Mo.
- Autosymbolic play, for example, child pretends to go to sleep or pretends to drink from cup or eat from spoon.
- Uses most common objects and toys appropriately.
- Tool-use (uses stick to reach toy).
- Finds toys invisibly hidden (when placed in box and box emptied under scarf).
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19 Mo.Symbolic play extends beyond the child’s self:
- Play with dolls: brushes doll’s hair, feeds doll a bottle, or covers doll with blanket.
- Child performs pretend activities on more than one person or object: for example, feeds self, a doll, mother, and another child.
- Combines two toys in pretend play, for example, puts spoon in pan or pours from pot into cup.
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24 Mo.
- Represents daily experiences: plays house – is the mommy, daddy, or baby: objects used are realistic and close to life size.
- Events short and isolated; no true sequences: some self-limiting sequences – puts food in pan, stirs and eats.
- Block play consists of stacking and knocking down.
- Sand and water play consists of filling, pouring and dumping.
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2.5 Yrs.
- Represents events less frequently experienced or observed, particularly impressive or traumatic events.
- Doctor-Nurse-Sick child
Teacher-Child
Store-Shopper
- Events still short and isolated. Realistic props still required. Roles shift quickly.
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3 Yrs.
- Continues pretend activities of previous 2 stages, but now the play has sequence. Events are not isolated, for example, child mixes cake, bakes it, serves it, washes the dishes; or doctor checks patient, calls ambulance, takes patient to hospital and operates. Sequence evolves… not planned.
- Compensatory toy… re-enactment of experienced events with new outcomes.
- Associative play.
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3.5 Yrs.
- Carries out play activities of previous stages with a doll house and Fisher-Price toys (barn, garage, airport, village)
- Uses blocks and sandbox for imaginative play. Blocks used primarily as enclosures (fences, and houses, for animals and dolls).
- Play not totally stimulus bound. Child uses one object to represent another.
- Uses doll or puppet as participant in play.
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4 Yrs.
- Begins to problem-solve events not experienced. Plans ahead. Hypothesizes “what would happen if…”.
- Uses dolls and puppets to act out scenes.
- Builds 3-dimentional structures with blocks which are attempts at reproducing specific structures child has seen.
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5Yrs.
- Plans a sequence of pretend events. Organizes what he needs – both objects and other children.
- Coordinates more than one event at a time.
- Highly imaginative. Sets the scene without realistic props.
- Full co-operative play.
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