Chapter Three
The First Two Years of Life
Sensorimotor Play
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Primary Circular Reactions (1-4 Months)
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Secondary Circular Reactions (4-8 Months)
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Baby accidentally discovers an interesting
sensory or motor experience related to its own
body, enjoys it, and later repeats it
Repetition of behaviors that bring about pleasing
effects on their surrounding world
Tertiary Circular Reactions (12 Months +)
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Repetition of action but accompanied by variation
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Object play in the first year
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4.5 months – eye-hand coordination in reaching
5 months – play with objects (e.G., Picks up a block)
6 months – indiscriminate use of objects: performs
actions on objects BUT focus is on the action rather
than the object.
9 months – investigative approach: attends carefully
to properties of objects
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Play Materials in the First Year
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Safe
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No sharp edges
Too large to fit in mouth
Reactive
Able to Stimulate the Senses
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Bright primary colors
High contrast
Varied textures and sounds
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Play Materials in the First Year
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Sponges
Plastic containers (e.g, Tupperware)
Pots and Pans
Large utensils such as spoons and plastic
spatulas
Foods, such as potatoes oranges that can be
rolled around
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Play Materials in the First Year
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Empty boxes, such as cereal boxes
Empty egg cartons, for putting things into
Toilet paper rolls
Empty juice containers filled with rice or uncooked
beans, sealed well, covered with contact paper
Water or Karo syrup with glitter in a well-sealed
bottle
Baby books with colorful pictures
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Changes in the Second Year
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Objects used appropriately
Indiscriminate and investigative approaches
decline
Fewer play behaviors using only one object at
a time (By 18 months, 80% of object play
involves bringing objects together.)
Representational Uses of Objects
(Ritualization)
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Symbolic Play Trends in the
Second Year
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Decentration
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Decontextualization
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Focus on self to a Focus on Others
Realistic to Unrealistic Substitutes
Integration
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Unrelated Actions to Related Actions
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Parental Gender Differences in Play
With Infants
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Mother
Allows child to choose
activity
Has a teaching emphasis
Is more verbal
Plays conventional
games
Offers toys
Children, Play, and Development
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Father
Directs the play
activity
Suggests nonconventional games
Engages in rough and
tumble
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Approaches That Optimize The
Quality Of Adult-Child Play
Sensitivity To Children’s Cues
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Assessing the child’s intentions and capabilities
Correctly reading their responses
Knowing how and when to intervene
Imitating the child’s behavior and elaborating upon it
A Playful And Available Attitude
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An enthusiastic approach.
Smiling, laughing.
Frequent eye contact.
Use of infant-directed speech.
Playful facial gestures.
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Approaches That Optimize The
Quality Of Adult-Child Play
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An Optimal Arousal Level
 Keeping the child from being bored and from being
overly excited
 Offering new toys as needed
 Initiating rousing physical play
 Calming and soothing an overly-excited child.
Willingness To Engage In Social Games
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Playing games, such as Peek-a-Boo, that involve sharing,
playing complementary roles, taking turns.
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Characteristics of Adult-Child Games
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Taking turns: the parent engages in a action, then
stops and waits for the baby to act
Repetition of roles at the end of each "round" of
activity: the parent may build a tower of three blocks,
the baby waits until it is completed, and then knocks
it over; The parent builds again, the baby waits, and
again knocks over the tower
Offering toys to one's partner
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Characteristics of Adult-Child Games
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Careful observation of one's partner while awaiting
one's turn
Signaling to one's partner that his or her involvement
is required
Building tension in the child and then releasing the
tension
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Benefits of Social Games
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Child learns how to wait for its turn, a useful skill at
any age in life
Child learns how to adapt to the schedule of another
person. Awareness of others is reinforced in such
games because careful attention to a partner's actions
is a necessity
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Benefits of Social Games
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Parent-child play is often so delightful an experience
for both parties that it can facilitate the process of
attachment between parent and child
Since these early social games involve much
verbalization, such play encourages the development
of language
The child is kept in a positive state of affect.
The child develops the ability over time to modulate
his or her own arousal level
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Playing With Mother vs. Playing Alone
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Activity of baby is more complex
Activity of baby is more sustained
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life
Playing With Mother vs. Playing
Alone
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Play is more “modulated”, meaning that it is tailored
to the child’s needs
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Mom adapts physically to the child’s position
Mom varies the speed with which she offers toys
Mom introduces variations in the play
Mom reduces her activity if the child is overly excited
Mom picks up the pace when the child is bored
Mom reassures when the child has difficulty
Mom reinforces when child is successful
Children, Play, and Development
Chapter 3: The First Two Years of Life