What are the different types of play?
Play and language go hand in hand. Children need a wide range of play in order to develop their language skills.
There are different levels of play which are developmental, and each level links with your child’s development of language.
If your child’s language and communication skills are delayed, observation of their play can show a lot about their general development and readiness for language. It can also highlight which type of play to target in order to encourage language development.
Exploratory play
What is it?
- Exploring objects and situations
- Recognising objects
- Using everyday objects on themselves
What does this mean for your child?
This stage is very important, because it suggests that your child is storing information and developing an internal awareness of a variety of objects.
Over time your child will gradually add more information about the object, including how to recognise and say the word.
Something to consider…
If your child is not talking, do they play appropriately with a wide range of everyday objects?
Large doll play
What is it?
- Recognising dolls/teddies as representing people
- Involving these characters in play
- Use objects to act out everyday events
What does this mean for your child?
This stage is important as it indicates that your child’s internal concept of a range of words is developing.
With appropriate adult-child interaction, this type of play provides valuable opportunities to use and reinforce everyday vocabulary and language.
This type of play suggests that your child is beginning to develop more abstract thoughts, because they can use objects on other people and not just themselves.
Something to consider…
Can your child use a variety of objects in their play on a doll/teddy?
Small world play
What is it?
- Using small world toys such as animals, cars, trains etc
- Understanding what these objects are by using them appropriately
What does this mean for your child?
This stage is very important as it is the beginning of symbolic understanding. Your child realises that one object (a miniature bed) can stand for another (a real bed) just as a ‘word’ can represent an object.
Your child can now begin to deal with the critical level of symbolisation to develop language and thinking.
Something to consider…
Can your child play with small world toys appropriately, or do they put them in their mouth/throw them/try and do something different with them?
Imaginative play
What is it?
- Acting out simple sequences of play
- Acting out more complex scenarios and stories
What does this mean for your child?
At this stage your child is starting to use internal language to organise their play. They are able to link ideas and, subsequently, language together.
This is an important step in being able to re-tell an event/news/what has happened.
Something to consider…
Can your child demonstrate that they can sequence their ideas in play?
Co-operative imaginative Play
What is it?
- Engaging in elaborate make-believe play with others
- Planning and leading play
- Understanding that rules and roles can change quickly
What does this mean for your child?
This play supports complex thought processes and language.
Your child can use language to be part of a group, to understand rules quickly, negotiate, problem solve and sometimes manipulate.
Something to consider…
Does your child play on their own or are they on the edge of social play?
Role play
- Dressing up and taking on the character of another person
- Using props not always for what they are intended
- Playing co-operatively with other children by acting out and negotiating situations
What does this mean for your child?
This type of play enables your child to experiment with the roles and feelings of different people in a safe environment, and encourages them to interact with other children.
Your child learns to empathise with others, which is crucial for social and emotional development. Role play supports the development of more complex language skills, creating roles, negotiating and re-telling.
It also supports complex thought processes and language needed for narrative development.
Something to consider…
Can your child engage in role play successfully with other children?