Infant Toddler Learning & Development Foundations

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
80
Symbolic Play
Behaviors leading up to the
foundation (4 to 7 months)
During this period, the child
may:
• Explore toys with hands and
mouth. (3–6 mos.; Parks
2004, 10)
Behaviors leading up to the
foundation (9 to 17 months)
During this period, the child may:
• Use two items that go together;
for example, brush a doll’s
hair with brush, put a spoon
in a bowl, or use a hammer
to pound an object through a
hole. (9–15 mos.; Parks 2004,
26–27)
• Use objects in pretend play
the way they were intended to
be used; for example, pretend
to drink coffee or tea from
play coffee cup. (Scaled score
of 10 for 15:16–16:15 mos.;
Bayley 2006, 62)
Behaviors leading up to the
foundation (19 to 35 months)
During this period, the child may:
• Use the stuffed animals to play
“veterinarian” one day and then to
play “farmer” the next day. (18–24
mos.; Lerner and Ciervo 2003)
• Communicate “Time for nightnight”
to a doll while playing
house. (22–24 mos.; Parks 2004,
133)
• Complete three or more actions in
a sequence of pretend play so the
actions have a beginning, middle,
and end, such as giving the baby
doll a bath, putting his pajamas
on, and putting him to sleep.
(24–30 mos.; Parks 2004, 28; by
36 mos.; American Academy of
Pediatrics 2004, 309; scaled score
of 10 for 29:16–30:15 mos.; Bayley
2006, 73)
• Pretend that the doll or stuffed
animal has feelings, such as making
a whining noise to indicate that
the stuffed puppy is sad. (24–30
mos.; Parks 2004, 28)
• Make the stuffed animals move, as
if they were alive, during pretend
play. (24–30 mos.; Parks 2004, 28)
• Engage in extended pretend play
that has a theme, such as birthday
party or doctor. (24–30 mos.;
Parks 2004, 29)
• Use abstract things to represent
other things in pretend play; for
example, use dough or sand to
represent a birthday cake and
sticks or straws to represent
candles. (24–30 mos.; Parks
2004, 29; scaled score of 10 for
24:16–25:15 mos.; Bayley 2006,
70; Segal 2004, 39)