About Social Play

Social play is any play in which children interact with each other. Unsurprisingly, such play drips with opportunities for learning interpersonal skills. For example, it helps children hone self-regulation skills, master language, see the perspectives of others, manage and express emotions, and establish and nurture relationships.

Examples include:

• A swarm of preschoolers playing Freeze Tag or The Floor Is Lava
• A couple of children cooperating on an art or tinkering project
• A child-organized game of Kickball during 3rd-grade lunchtime recess
• A herd of children rolling tires, playing superheroes, or engaged in rough-and-tumble play

Social play begins in the preschool years as children develop the skills necessary for such play. They need to progress through the first 4 of Mildred Parten’s 6 stages of play ( unoccupied play, solitary play, onlooker play, and parallel play) before they’re truly able to engage in social play ( associative play and cooperative play).

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