Play is an essential daily occupation for children. Play begins very early on as children 0-3 months explore their fingers and move their bodies. Up to 2 years old, children are playing alone, moving from exploratory play to using objects for non-functional purposes (like banging a spoon on a bowl) and and then to use objects for their purpose (like a comb for brushing hair, or spoon to stir in a pot). They begin to practice skills like grasping, placing, and constructing. As children play alongside others, they are observing, but don’t always initiate play with others until about 3 years old. Pretend play expands to using objects to represent other things (like a paper for a blanket). Here they are learning the mechanics of communication and the building blocks of social interaction. Cooperative play like sharing and taking turns emerges closer to 4 years old. As they grow and have observed adult behaviors, they begin to imitate grown-up activities like cooking, building, caregiving, cleaning, repairing, and doctoring. Children explore their feelings and play them out in scenarios where they learn what is safe, how to handle failure, problem solve through challenges, and building self-esteem through accomplishment and success. Pretend play becomes more dramatic and begins to involve others in the most sophisticated form of play through age 5.
So, where do parents fit into the play of children?
Because you are the most involved in your child’s daily care and nurturing, you are uniquely equipped to be the most involved in your child’s playful life. Early on, you can enjoy playing together with them, establishing the emotional bond through touch, movement, sights, and sounds. As they grow, parents may show children how to play, giving them ideas, and copying their ideas to affirm their creativity. Throughout their development, you can challenge them in ways that stretch their imagination, model adaptation and flexibility, and listen to their stories and experiences.
Play is complex and does not always come naturally to children and parents. Consider physical, emotional, social, and communication limitations and how that impacts the experiences of play – for the child and possibly for you as the adult. A child’s ability to move in their environment, manipulate the toys, or use language may be impaired, however, it takes creativity and problem solving to help them achieve satisfactory play. You as their parent are
uniquely made and called to engage with your child to struggle through and find ways to have meaningful play. While a child may be 3 years old, their play level may be more at a 2 year old level. That’s ok! Meet them where they are and help them learn to play in more complex ways each day by modeling, suggesting, or offering more advanced toys or objects. An Occupational Therapist can come alongside you and help you problem solve strategies, too!
Providing materials, activities, and experiences is another way you, as the parent, can facilitate play. Here are some ideas and materials you can have available to encourage playfulness in your home!
2 year olds: familiar daily activities like play kitchens, tool benches, tea parties, dolls, cars and trucks
3 year olds: real or pretend objects to play out familiar scenarios like birthday parties, doctor visits, going shopping, washing the car
4 year olds: real and pretend objects to play out more complex or developed ideas beyond what is familiar, like scenes from a book, movie, or their imagination (sailing across the ocean, exploring outer space, rescuing an injured animal) – these might continue over a few days
5 year olds: boxes, sticks, blankets, craft supplies available for building or creating scenes and scenarios that span a week or longer
Contact Christy Hendrickson MHS, OTR/L 865-851-4201 hendrickson.christy@gmail.com for more information!