Development of Play
Bronfenbrenner's Social ecological model
Gross Motor/Mobility Milestones
Biomechanics of movement
Motor Control & Motor Function
100

Games with rules, crafts & hobbies, organized sports, social play are typical in children aged…

What is 6-10 years? 

100

In this layer, the child’s attachment to their caregiver—whether secure, anxious, or disorganized—forms the foundation for emotional understanding and future relationships.

What is Layer 1: Individual Child?

100

Lifts hand, raises trunk when prone 

What is birth - 6 months? 

100

This term refers to the point at which a person's mass is centered and balanced.

What is the center of gravity?

100

This is the term for the ability to regulate or direct mechanisms essential to movement.

What is motor control? 

200

This taxonomy outlines the progression from sensorimotor play at birth to recreational play by age 12-16.

What is Takata's taxonomy of play?

200

In this layer, institutions like schools and community centers, as well as physical spaces outside the home, contribute to the child’s development.

What is Layer 4: Community?

200

Sits in small chair, begins to run, pushes and pulls large toys or boxes on floor 

What is 12-18 months? 

200

The area of the body that touches the ground and supports your weight is known as this.

What is the base of support?

200

These sensory receptors provide information about muscle tension and body position, allowing us to know where our limbs are in space.

What are proprioceptors? 

300

When a child plays with others and has interest in both the activity and other children involved in playing 

What is Cooperative play? 

300

This layer emphasizes the role of siblings, extended family, and the household’s cultural traditions and physical environment in a child’s development.

What is Layer 3: Family Context?

300

Rides tricycle, begins to hop on one foot, catches large ball against chest 

What is 24-36 months?

300

Good posture is essential for maintaining this respiratory function, especially when sitting upright.

What is lung expansion or respiratory efficiency?

300

The execution of movement and performance of tasks requiring physical action 

What is motor function? 

400

You are observing a 30-month-old child during free play. The child is using building blocks to create a house and is also pretending that the small toy figures are a family living inside the house. The child narrates, "The mommy goes to the kitchen to make food, and the daddy is at work."

What type of play is this individual engaging in?

What is Symbolic & Constructive? 


The child is engaging in constructive play by building a house with blocks, which involves fine motor skills and spatial awareness. At the same time, the child is participating in symbolic play by using the toy figures to represent a family and assigning them roles, which supports cognitive development, language skills, and social understanding. This type of play also enhances imagination and problem-solving abilities.

400

This layer highlights how national policies, economic structures, and access to technology, like social media, influence a child’s growth and opportunities for engagement.

What is Layer 5: Geopolitical Context?

400

Runs, squats, climbs on furniture, kicks ball forward, walks up and down stairs 

What is 18-24 months? 

400

Changing this part of the body’s alignment, such as by slouching, can negatively impact functional movement.

What is the pelvic tilt? 

400

The ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions or connections after injuries 

What is neuroplasticity? 

500

You are observing an 8-month-old child during a play session. The child picks up a rattle, shakes it to make noise, and then repeatedly drops it to watch what happens. The child then mouths a teething toy and bangs it against the floor.

What type of play is this child engaging in? 

What is exploratory & Functional? 


The child is engaging in exploratory play by using sensory input (shaking the rattle, mouthing the toy, and banging it) to discover properties of objects, such as sound and texture. The child is also showing functional play by using the objects according to their intended function (e.g., shaking the rattle to make noise). This supports sensory-motor development, cause-and-effect understanding, and fine motor skills, including grasping and object manipulation.

500

This layer focuses on the caregiver's influence on the child’s development, taking into account their lived experiences and perspectives in shaping the child’s environment.

What is Layer 2: Caregiver?

500

Sits independently, pivots in sitting position, plays in standing when leaning on support 

What is 6-12 months? 

500

A wider base of support can help improve this aspect of motor control, especially during challenging tasks.

What is stability? 

500

The theory that motor control involves adaptive processes of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems interacting dynamically with the environment.

What is the systems theory?