parallel play - 10/11/04 11:09 PM
i should look this up, it's something you can observe with small children. at first glance you see two boys playing with trucks (or girls playing with dolls) and think they are playing with each other.
but if you listen to the dialogs, you discover that one child is paying absolutely no attention to the other child. they are using the same toys, in the same environment, but there is no real interaction. you could remove one child, or substitute a child of the oposite sex, and play would continue..put a girl in the sandbox with the boy and only trucks to play with, and the truck would morph into a family car, and mommy would be driving and taking the children to the park. the boy would still be playing 'moster trucks' and demolishing mountains or imaginary buildings.. they wouldn't 'fight' they would both move the trucks about, but there wouldn't be any real interaction.. they would be involved in parallel play.
likewise, the doll in the hands of a boy becomes a hostage, or spy, or morphs into a man.. who then goes off and does total different activities than what the girl is imagining.. even as they continue, side by side, in a 'playful' manner.
i have exagerated the 'sexist' behavior, (dramatic licence) but it is a real observence.
most childer move from parallel play (that is being in a group, but not really interacting with the group, and not really sharing with the group) about the age of 4 --it one of the signals they are ready for a pre-school experience.. they learn how to play with others.
some children never develop normally and never engage in a meaningful way with a group, even though at first glance it seems they are. they never move past parallel play.
but if you listen to the dialogs, you discover that one child is paying absolutely no attention to the other child. they are using the same toys, in the same environment, but there is no real interaction. you could remove one child, or substitute a child of the oposite sex, and play would continue..put a girl in the sandbox with the boy and only trucks to play with, and the truck would morph into a family car, and mommy would be driving and taking the children to the park. the boy would still be playing 'moster trucks' and demolishing mountains or imaginary buildings.. they wouldn't 'fight' they would both move the trucks about, but there wouldn't be any real interaction.. they would be involved in parallel play.
likewise, the doll in the hands of a boy becomes a hostage, or spy, or morphs into a man.. who then goes off and does total different activities than what the girl is imagining.. even as they continue, side by side, in a 'playful' manner.
i have exagerated the 'sexist' behavior, (dramatic licence) but it is a real observence.
most childer move from parallel play (that is being in a group, but not really interacting with the group, and not really sharing with the group) about the age of 4 --it one of the signals they are ready for a pre-school experience.. they learn how to play with others.
some children never develop normally and never engage in a meaningful way with a group, even though at first glance it seems they are. they never move past parallel play.