Social Play Development   Stages of Play It is important for us to be aware of the different types of play and to recognize that children develop increasing social and cognitive skills as they progress.  This awareness helps us to set appropriate expectations for them.   As in all other areas of development, children develop at their own rate and one stage of development cannot be forced or expected before the child is ready.  Even though professional who study child development may have different terms used for the stages of play, what follows is a general description of what we see each day at Joyful Heart Learning Center when working with your children.   Observation:  Describes a child who may wonder or be still while watching others play.  This usually is seen in children new to the program and or very young.   Ages vary.   Solitary Play:  Describes the child who plays alone, uninvolved with others.  This type of play can be very basic or very complex with the child using imagination and creativity.  Ages vary.   Parallel Play:  Describes children who may be playing with similar toys or in similar activities, but not interacting with one another.  Ages 2-3.   Cooperative Play:   Describes the most social type of play and involves learning to share, cooperate, developing language skills, and dramatic play in shared activities.  (Begins with groups of two and progresses to larger groups)  Ages 3-5.   Games with rules/organized games:  Usually not appropriate for very young children.  Older children can begin simple organized games, but usually have difficulty with winners and losers.  Instead, games for preschoolers should teach cooperation and concepts in a no-lose way.  Kindergarten plus.