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DR 1: Children are personally and socially competent
⇣ Indicator: SOC—Children demonstrate effective social and interpersonal skills
⇣ Measure 8: Building Cooperative Play with Other Children—
Child interacts with other children through play that becomes increasingly cooperative and towards a shared purpose
	Descriptors	Examples
7	Participates in games with rules	Plays “Candy Land.” Participates in “Duck, Duck, Goose.”
6	Leads or participates in planning cooperative play with other children	Participates in pretend play with peers, following the agreed upon roles. Builds a city of blocks with other children. Successfully helps to negotiate where and how a small group of children can play. “We can make a big spaceship with the LEGOS. Want to try?”
5	Engages with another child or children in play involving a common idea or purpose	Takes turns putting on hats with another child. Pretends to eat food after a child serves it to him or her. Joins in with other children to make a mountain of sand. Builds a block tower with another child.
4	Interacts with other children side-by-side as they play with similar materials	Plays blocks side-by-side with other children. Hands another child a toy that he or she is looking for. Hands a bucket to child sitting next to him or her in sandbox.
3	Plays near other children with similar materials, but usually does not interact with them	Plays by self with trucks when other children nearby are playing with trucks. Plays by self in sandbox near other children.
2	Responds to other children or their behavior	Moves excitedly when another child comes near. Pats or grasps another child. Rolls toward another child. Cries if another child gets too close. Cries when other children cry. Looks or turns toward other children.
1	Attends to other children	Notices other children.

Measure 8 — SOC 5

Building Cooperative Play with Other Children

Child interacts with other children through play that becomes increasingly cooperative and towards a shared purpose

Young children’s play is a gradual evolution from the imitative play of infants, led by adults, to the reciprocal play of toddlers with peers and, finally, to preschoolers’ cooperative and collaborative play. The development of cooperative play requires the prerequisite development of a number of other social and cognitive skills. For example, children need to identify each other as individuals, with feelings and desires of their own. They also need to learn social skills, such as turn taking, sharing, and conflict resolution. And they need to share common understandings of imaginary play games.

Infants notice other children and later respond to them, but they see peers as objects to explore rather than individuals with feelings. Their play with peers is more exploratory than it is interactive. They may grab faces, pull hair, or crawl right over each other. Infants’ interactive play is primarily with adults rather than with peers, since adults lead and sustain ritualized activities such as peek-a-boo or pat-a-cake.

Young toddlers enjoy each other’s company. Their mutual play usually involves playing near each other, without actually interacting (parallel play). Familiar toddlers interact by imitating each other. For example, one toddler will bang a toy on a shelf, another toddler will copy the behavior, and the two of them will laugh together. Toddlers’ play together is also based on reciprocity. For example, they might take turns running and chasing one another, or they might offer and receive toys from one another as they play side by side. Toddlers, however, often run into difficulty negotiating space and toys. In order to maintain safe and peaceful play, they require observant adults who will intervene when necessary.

Young preschoolers become increasingly more sophisticated at playing together. They begin to engage in play involving a common theme or purpose, such as building a block tower together. As they continue to mature and gain experience playing with other children, they are ready to begin more sophisticated cooperative or collaborative play planned around a common theme, with each child playing specific roles. For example, children may pass a toy telephone back and forth or take turns being a doctor and a hurt cat.

The play of older preschoolers is more elaborate and symbolic. They usually share a common understanding of the informal rules of games, such as playing house or riding bikes. Some older preschoolers have also learned how to play formal games with rules, such as Candy Land or “Duck, Duck, Goose.” In order to be successful in preschool play, children must develop specific social skills, such as cooperation, turn taking, problem solving, and sharing.

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