Session 4

Session 4: Providing for Play

 

Checking My Understanding

 

Social Stages of Play

 

Directions

 

For each of the following situations, indicate which social stage of play (solitary, parallel, associative, cooperative, and on-looking or unoccupied) the children are engaging in. After you’ve finished, check your answers.

1. Clara stands at the side of the block cupboard watching Sara play in the water table. Clara stretches her neck to see all of the toys Sara is using.
   
   
   1. solitary play
   2. parallel play
   3. associative play
   4. cooperative play
   5. on-looking or unoccupied play

    

2. Kalera, 2.3 years, and Miranda, 3.1 years, are playing with blocks. Kalera has a dump truck and is putting smaller blocks in the truck. He then drives the truck to the other side of the block area and dumps the blocks on the floor to form a shape.
   
   

1. solitary play

2. parallel play

3. associative play
4. cooperative play
5. on-looking or unoccupied play

 

3. Stephanie is standing by the water table looking around. She doesn’t seem to be looking at one thing for too long.
   
   

1. solitary play

2. parallel play

3. associative play

4. cooperative play

5. on-looking or unoccupied play

 

4. Natalie, 2 years, is sitting on the floor in the block area. One-by-one she takes the blocks off the shelf and puts them side-by-side on the floor, and then knocks them over.
   
   

1. solitary play

2. parallel play

3. associative play

4. cooperative play

5. on-looking or unoccupied play

 

5. Paul and Rania are building their own structures in the block area. Paul says, “When we are finished, let’s blast off in our spaceships!” Rania says, “Mine has a super turbo blaster! Let’s go!”
   
   

1. solitary play

2. parallel play

3. associative play

4. cooperative play

5. on-looking or unoccupied play

 

6. Sebastian, 3 years, wanders into the block area and watches several children work together on a structure. After a minute, he walks by the water table and keeps going to the art table, where he doesn’t pick up a brush or paper to paint.
   
   
1. solitary play
2. parallel play
3. associative play
4. cooperative play
5. on-looking or unoccupied play

 

7. Katie, 2 years, alternates red and blue building blocks while Teri, 2 years, is sitting near her using blocks to build a tower. They seem influenced by each other, but neither child talks or suggests anything to the other.
   
   

1. solitary play

2. parallel play

3. associative play

4. cooperative play

5. on-looking or unoccupied play

 

8. Carl, 5 years, and Fin Yee, 5 years, see a large box in the corner of the room. They decide to turn it into a spaceship. They get paint and colour the box, and then take turns saying, “Blast off, captain!” “Yes, sir.”
   
   

1. solitary play

2. parallel play

3. associative play

4. cooperative play

5. on-looking or unoccupied play

 

9. Soon Yi, 2 years, works at building a mountain out of paper. She doesn’t talk to anyone and is not involved with the children around her.
   
   

1. solitary play

2. parallel play

3. associative play

4. cooperative play

5. on-looking or unoccupied play

Check your answers.

CCS3130 Learn EveryWare ©2011 Alberta Education