Age Appropriate Play
- Puts objects in mouth.
- Watches hands
- Plays actively when propped in play area(10 to 15 minutes)
- Looks intently and shakes rattle
- On visual cue, free hand comes towards but doesn’t grasp rattle
- Generally, inspects surroundings
- Smiles fingers, mirror image
- Increases activity at sight of toy
- Bangs with object held in hand
- Transfers object from one hand to another
- Puts objects in and out of container and groups objects
- Can figure out ways of overcoming some obstacles (opening doors, reaching high places)
- Imitates many things (sweeping, combing hair – self use)
- Pulls toys, carries or hugs dolls, teddy bear
- Very rapid shifts in attention – especially expressed by gross motor skills
- Relates toy with real object. E.g.: uses a toy comb to comb a real person
- 20 to 24 months – simple pretend play
- Relates toy to toy. Eg toy comb to comb dolls hair
- Relates actions to object or another person- washes, feeds, combs doll in addition to self
- Likes to play with flexible materials such as clay, pat, pinches and fingers.
- Less rapid shifts in attention.
- Arranges doll furniture into meaningful groups and uses doll figures to act out simple themes from own experience.
- Sequences related actions in play such as preparing food for doll, feeding it, wiping its mouth.
- Aligns three or more cubes to make train: pushes train.
- Builds tower of six to seven blocks.
- Imitates drawing of vertical line.
- Dramatization and imagination begin to enter play (make believe and pretend)
- Beginning interest in cooperative play – plays with others in small group
- Interest in combining play things.
- Is willing to wait his/her turn
- Will put toys away with some supervision
- Watches cartoon on TV, names own drawings
- Builds tower of nine blocks
- Puts together four-part nesting toy
- Stacks five or more rings on a peg in order of size
- Draws horizontal line in limitation
- Imitates drawing a circle
