Play

To play means to engage in some sort of physical activity for enjoyment instead of for a serious purpose. There are seven different stages of play. The first stage of play lasts from when a child is born to when they are six months old. They look at adults closely, put things into their mouth, touch things with their hands, and play alone with toys. The second stage lasts from when the child is six months old to when they are one year old. The child explores things through the mouth and hands by touching objects. The look at and imitate adults. They copy adults, like simple games, and explore toys alone. The third stage lasts from when the child is one to when they are one and a half. The child will learn through trial and error and repeat actions that they have liked. They will start to play with grown-ups and start to notice other children. They will play alone. The fourth stage lasts from when the child is one and a half to two years old. They will still explore things with their mouth and learn through trial and error. They will copy adults and other children, and they will look at other children, but they will not play with them. They like playing with adults, as well as themselves, and they like repetitive actions. The fifth stage of play lasts from when a child is three to when a child is four. They will recognize shapes, letter, and colors, and they will solve jigsaw puzzles through a mixture of thinking and trial and error. They will play and take turns with other children, and will play imaginatively. They show more reasoning skills and ask more questions. The sixth stage of play lasts from four to six years old. The child will begin to use and understand symbols for writing and reading, begin to understand simple rules in games. They enjoy table top games, and uses reason. The seventh stage of play lasts from six to eight years of age. The child will like playing in groups and making up their own games with their own rules. They do not like to lose, and they like playing with kids of their own gender. To help children through the different stages, teachers can plan games that involve children playing in groups and cooperating. They can also plan games where the child has to complete something on their own. There are many different games that children can take part in to demonstrate play, many of which they do without knowing it.