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"It is paradoxical that many educators and parents stills differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them." -Leo F. Buscaglia

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"It is paradoxical that many educators and parents stills differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them." -Leo F. Buscaglia

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Children can express their creativity via play, which also helps them develop their imagination, hand-eye coordination, and physical, mental, and emotional strength. The development of a healthy brain requires play. Play is the primary way that kids connect and engage with the world around them from a very young age. Through play, children learn how to comprehend the outside world, grow physically, and acquire a variety of emotional skills. Children can practice skills and imitate what they see as they play. Play helps kids learn how to interact and communicate with others, and it provides them with an outlet for their creativity and exploration (Zapata, 2020).

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From birth to 2 years of age, infants participate in two types of play, unoccupied and solitary play. Unoccupied play is from birth to 3 months. At this stage the baby is just making a lot of movements with their arms, legs, hands, and feet. They are learning and discovering how their body moves and works. From birth to 2 infants also participate in solitary play. In this stage the child plays alone. They aren't interested in playing with others quite yet (Chertoff, 2019).

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1. Look for age appropriate sets of toys your child can put together on their own like wooden blocks, legos, and simple puzzles.

2. Watch your child play on a hopscotch board so they can jump through without your help.

3. Provide your child with large sheets of paper or coloring books for coloring and painting.

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During this stage a child begins to watch other children playing but does not play with them. The toddler sits or stands near other children who are playing but doesn't get involved. They may talk to other kids, ask questions, and give suggestions, but no more.

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- watching other children play from a distance
- watching how other children interact with toys in the play area
- children suggesting solutions to other children during play but not joining in

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1. Take them to the playground and park
- These are good spots to watch other children play

2. Provide them with open-ended toys.
- Playing with open-ended toys promotes curiosity, problem-solving, and imagination. These are important skills as children begin to actively engage other children in play.

3. Encourage pretend play or dress-up
- Role-Playing can improve your Childs cognitive and imaginative skills.

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Parallel play is a form of play in which children play adjacent to each other, but do not try to influence one another's behavior. An example of parallel play may be your imitating what a playmate is doing while not seeming to interact with him directly. If the playmate is playing with blocks, your toddler may decide to play with blocks too.

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1. Encourage sensory play activities
- Sensory play activities are great for parallel play. Examples to consider are play dough, building blocks, and playing with toys. Also, starting with shorter parallel play sessions so children won't lose interest.

2. Incorporate music and dance
- Music stimulates the mind and helps children express themselves. Planning a dance party is one way to support parallel play through music and dance.

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Associate play is when a child starts to interact with others during play, but there is not a large amount of interaction at this stage. A child may be engaging in an activity that is shared by the children nearby, yet the child may not actually be interacting with them. For instance, several children might be using the same piece of playground equipment while engaging in various activities such as climbing, swinging, etc.

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1. Playdates
- Smaller one-on-one playdates with friends they're already comfortable with will encourage them to really interact during play.

2. Arts and Crafts
- Creating a group project will encourage interaction between children, or just set out a mix of supplies and let them create side by side.

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Cooperative play is when a child plays together with others and has interest in both the activity and other children involved in playing. As your child plays with other kids, they'll start to share toys and art supplies. This won't always be painless, but they'll need to learn cooperation as they recognize that some things belong to others.

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Here are a few cooperative play examples to try:
- treasure hunt
- puzzles
- building dens
- relay races
- team games
- board games
All of these are games that encourage kids to interact with one another and work together to complete a task. They will start to pick up social skills, learn how to obey rules, and get ready for the following levels of education.

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Admin. (2022, May 24). The 6 stages of how kids learn to play: Child development. Pathways.org. https://pathways.org/kids-learn-play-6-stages-play-development/

Chertoff, J. (2019, July 29). What is solitary play? definition, age, games, examples, and more. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/solitary-play

Zapata, K. (2020, September 28). The importance of play: How kids learn by having fun. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/the-importance-of-play#benefits