Human Growth and Development / Unit 5 HGD 0647 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Parten's Six Forms of Play
The idea
Mildred Parten observed two- to five-year-olds and described six forms of play. Three are non-social: unoccupied play, watching or moving randomly; solitary play, playing alone; and onlooker play, watching others without joining. Three are social: parallel play, side by side with similar materials but separately; associative play, sharing and interacting without a common goal; and cooperative play, organised around roles, rules and a shared goal.
In practice
One sandbox over two years: a toddler digging alone, two children digging side by side, then four children building one castle together.
Where people slip
Younger children engage in non-social play more than older ones, and by about five, associative and cooperative play are the most common forms. Exam questions often describe a scene and ask for its form: two children side by side with the same toys but no interaction are in parallel play.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Human Growth and Development