Play is crucial component of a child’s development. It helps them develop social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills. As an occupational therapy clinic, we understand the importance of play in a child’s life. In this blog, we’ll discuss social interaction in play milestones and what you need to know.
From birth to age seven, children go through various play milestones. These milestones are essential for their overall development.
Here are the milestones for each age and some tips to help encourage your child’s development:
0-6 months
In the first six months, a child establishes eye contact, recognizes parents visually, and responds with a smile when socially approached. They also laugh in response to play and distinguish between friendly and angry voices.
Here are some activity suggestions to help foster the skills above in your child:
Eye Contact: To encourage eye contact, parents can hold their babies close to their faces and talk to them, making direct eye contact. This helps the baby focus on the parent’s face and develop visual tracking skills.
Visual Recognition: To help babies recognize their parents visually, parents can use a consistent voice and tone when talking to their babies. They can also use gestures like waving or pointing to reinforce visual recognition.
Smiling: To encourage babies to respond with a smile when socially approached, parents can play games like peek-a-boo or tickling, which can elicit a smile response. They can also smile and make eye contact with their baby during playtime to reinforce positive social interactions.
Laughing: To encourage babies to laugh in response to play, parents can engage in playful interactions like blowing on the baby’s belly or making funny faces. Playing music or singing silly songs can also elicit laughter.
Distinguishing Voices: To help babies distinguish between friendly and angry voices, parents can use different tones of voice when talking to their babies. They can use a soothing voice combined with a calm facial expression to comfort the baby and a firm but gentle voice with an appropriate facial expression to establish boundaries. This helps the baby learn to recognize different tones of voice and understand social cues.
6-12 months
From six to twelve months, a child starts to play peek-a-boo, lift their arms to parents, and respond to facial expressions. They imitate adult actions, manipulate and explore objects, and begin to engage in imaginative play actions.
Here are some activity suggestions to help foster the skills above in your child:
Peek-a-boo: Continue to play games like peek-a-boo with your baby, which can help to develop object permanence and social skills. Encourage your baby to initiate the game by covering their own face with a cloth or blanket and then uncovering it.
Facial Expressions: Encourage your baby to respond to facial expressions by making exaggerated facial expressions yourself, such as sticking out your tongue, raising your eyebrows, or making a silly face. This can help your baby learn to recognize and imitate different facial expressions.
Imitation: Encourage your baby to imitate adult actions by playing with toys together, such as feeding a doll or stuffed animal. This can help develop fine motor skills and social skills.
Object Manipulation: Provide your baby with various safe objects to manipulate and explore, such as soft blocks, cups, and balls. This can help develop hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and sensory exploration.
Imaginative Play: Encourage your baby to engage in imaginative play actions by providing toys that allow for pretend play, such as dolls, stuffed animals, or toy cars. This can help develop social skills and creativity. For example, you can create a toy car race or have a tea party with stuffed animals.
1-2 years
A child has toy preferences between one and two years and identifies themselves in the mirror. They imitate adult behaviour and engage in imaginative play. They spontaneously perform one action with a doll, use a similar-looking object for the needed object, and begin to play next to other children.
Here are some activity suggestions to help foster the skills above in your child:
Favourite Toys: Provide your child with various toys, such as blocks, stuffed animals, and cars, and encourage them to choose their favourite toys to play with. This can help develop their interests and preferences.
Mirror Play: Use a child-safe mirror for your child to look at themselves and encourage them to make faces or dance along with their reflection. This can help with self-recognition and social interaction.
Imitating Behaviours: Play with your child using toys such as cooking or cleaning sets, and model adult behaviours for them to imitate. This can help develop their fine motor, problem-solving, and social skills.
Imaginative Play: Provide toys such as dolls, toy food, and dress-up clothes to encourage your child’s imaginative play. This can help with their creativity, social skills, and problem-solving.
One Action Play: Encourage your child to interact with their toys by spontaneously performing one action, such as feeding a doll or pushing a car. This can help develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Object Substitution: Encourage your child to use different objects creatively during playtime, such as using a block as a phone or a spoon as a drumstick. This can help with their creativity.
Parallel Play: Arrange playdates or attend playgroups to allow your child to play next to other children. This can help develop their social skills, communication, and cooperation with others.
2-3 years
A child has a strong sense of ownership between two to three years and may begin cooperative play. They treat dolls or teddies as if they are alive and begin to use symbols in their play. They also use or plan storylines and express emotions.
Here are some activity suggestions to help foster the skills above in your child:
Ownership: Allow your child to have ownership over their toys and personal belongings, such as their favourite stuffed animal or blanket. Encourage them to take care of these items and respect the belongings of others.
Cooperative Play: Provide opportunities for your child to engage in cooperative play with other children or family members, such as playing a game together or building a tower with blocks. This can help develop their social skills, teamwork, and communication.
Pretend Play: Encourage your child’s imagination and creativity by providing them with props and toys that allow for pretend play, such as dolls or toy food. Encourage them to create their own storylines and act out different scenarios.
Storytelling: Encourage your child’s storytelling skills by asking them open-ended questions about their play, such as “What is happening in your story?” or “What do you think will happen next?” This can help develop their language and communication skills.
Emotion Expression: Encourage your child to express their emotions through play by providing materials such as playdough or paint. Encourage them to create something that represents their feelings, such as a happy or sad face.
Role-Playing: You can foster your child’s social and emotional abilities by motivating them to engage in imaginative play with their dolls or stuffed animals, such as role-playing scenarios such as visiting a doctor or hosting a tea party.
3-4 years
Between three to four years, a child plays with mechanical toys, takes turns with other children, and plays with 2 or 3 children in a group.
Here are some activity suggestions to help foster the skills above in your child:
Mechanical Toys: Provide your child with mechanical toys, such as cars or trains, and encourage them to play with them. This can help develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Turn-taking: Encourage your child to take turns when playing games or engaging in activities with other children or family members. This can help develop their social skills, cooperation, and patience.
Group Play: Provide opportunities for your child to play in groups with 2 or 3 other children, such as attending a playgroup or arranging playdates. This can help develop their social skills, communication, and teamwork.
Emotional Expression: Encourage your child to talk about their feelings by providing a safe and supportive environment. Ask them how they feel and why they feel that way, and validate their emotions.
Responsibility and Consequences: Help your child learn about responsibility by setting clear rules and expectations. Explain what could happen as a result of their actions. Motivate your child to accept accountability for their behavior and to take corrective actions if necessary.
Positive Reinforcement: Use positive reinforcement, such as praise and rewards, to encourage your child’s good behaviour and positive actions. This can help develop their self-esteem and confidence.
4-5 years
Between four to five years, a child begins taking turns and negotiating and usually prefers playing with other children than by themselves. They play imaginatively, enjoy playing games with simple rules, and may change the rules of a game as the activity progresses.
Here are some activity suggestions to help foster the skills above in your child:
Cooperative Games: Encourage your child to play games with simple rules, such as board games or card games, that require cooperation and turn-taking. This can help develop their social skills and ability to negotiate.
Creative Play: Encourage your child’s imaginative play by providing props, costumes, and other materials that inspire creativity. Encourage them to make up their own stories and use their imagination.
Group Activities: Provide opportunities for your child to participate in group activities, such as sports teams or clubs. This can help develop their social skills, teamwork, and leadership skills.
Rule Negotiation: Allow your child to negotiate rules during playtime and encourage them to be fair and inclusive. This can help develop their problem-solving skills and ability to compromise.
Role-Playing: Encourage your child to engage in role-playing activities, such as pretending to be a doctor or a teacher. This can help develop their social and emotional skills, as well as their ability to think creatively.
Physical Activities: Motivate your child to engage in physical pursuits such as running, jumping, and climbing. This can assist in the development of their gross motor abilities, coordination, and self-assurance.
Playdates: Organize playdates with other children to provide opportunities for your child to practice their social skills and build friendships. Encourage them to take turns, share, and communicate effectively.
5-7 years
Between five to seven years, a child’s play themes include themes never personally experienced, and they play and negotiate with others during play. Their play is well-organized, and they enjoy using and understanding rules in play.
Here are some activity suggestions to help foster the skills above in your child:
Board Games: Encourage your child to play board games that require strategy and rule-following. This can help develop their organizational skills and understanding of rules.
Imaginative Play: Provide props and costumes for your child to use in imaginative play, such as building forts or pretending to be a chef. This can help develop their creativity and social skills.
Storytelling: Encourage your child to create and tell their own stories. This can help develop their language and communication skills, as well as their ability to organize and express their thoughts.
Team Sports: Encourage your child to participate in team sports like soccer or basketball. This can help develop their teamwork and cooperation skills, as well as their physical abilities.
Science and Engineering Projects: Provide opportunities for your child to engage in science and engineering projects, such as building structures or experimenting with simple machines. This can help develop their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
Art Projects: Encourage your child to engage in art projects that require planning and organization, such as creating a collage or painting. This can help develop their fine motor skills, creativity, and ability to follow instructions.
Playdates: Organize playdates with other children to provide opportunities for your child to practice their social skills and build friendships. Encourage them to take turns, share, communicate effectively, and model effective negotiation skills.
It can be difficult for children with developmental challenges to progress through these stages. By engaging in play-based interventions, developing fine and gross motor skills, and working on social skills, children can build their capacity for regulation and engagement, which are essential for social interaction and play. Occupational Therapy can provide various techniques to support children with different needs and strengths, such as sensory integration, play-based Therapy, and working with caregivers and teachers to provide consistent support. It’s important to remember that each child is unique and individualized treatment plans are essential. Therefore, if you are looking for support for your child’s social interaction and play development, we encourage you to reach out to learn more about our services and how we can help your child achieve their full potential in social play. If you have any questions about your child’s growth & development please call us on 02 9913 3823 or email hello@occupationaltherapy.com.au.