Westby's Stages of Play

Question 1

What is the age range for Stage I?

Answer 1

9-12months

Question 2

What happens in Stage I of Play?

Answer 2

• Awareness that objects exist when not seen; finds toys hidden under scarf
• Means-end behavior – Crawls or walks to get what he wants; pulls string toys
• Does not mouth or bang all toys – some us appropriately

Question 3

What is the age range for Stage II?

Answer 3

13 - 17 months

Question 4

What happens in Stage II?

Answer 4

• Purposeful exploration of toys; discovers operation of toys through trial and error; uses variety of motoric schemas.

Question 5

What is the age range for Stage III?

Answer 5

17 - 10 months (That is what it saying in the handout)

Question 6

What happens in Stage III?

Answer 6

• Autosymbolic play (Pretending to do or be someone_
• Uses most common objects and toys appropriately
• Tool-use (uses a stick to reach a toy)
• Finds toys invisibly hidden (When placed in a box and box emptied under scarf)

Question 7

What is the age range for Stage IV?

Answer 7

19 - 22 months

Question 8

What happens in Stage IV??

Answer 8

• Symbolic play extends beyond the child’s self
• Plays with dolls: brushes hair, feeds doll, covers doll with a blanket
• Child performs pretend activities on more than one person or object
• Combines two toys in pretend plan (Playing kitchen)

Question 9

What is the age for Stage V?

Answer 9

24 months

Question 10

What happens in Stage V?

Answer 10

• Re-presents daily experiences; plays house (is the mommy, daddy or baby); objects used are realistic and close to life size
• Events short and isolated; no true sequences; come self-limiting sequences (puts food in a pan, stirs and eats)
• Block play consists of stacking and knocking down
• Sand and water play consists of filling, pouring, and dumping

Question 11

What is the age for Stage VI?

Answer 11

2 1/2 years old

Question 12

What happens in Stage VI?

Answer 12

• Represents events less frequently experienced or observed, particularly impressive or traumatic events :Doctor-nurse- sick child; Teacher-child; Store-shopping.
• Events still short & isolated. Realistic props still required. Roles shift quickly.

Question 13

What is the age for Stage VII?

Answer 13

-3 years old

Question 14

What happens in Stage VII?

Answer 14

• Continues pretend activities of Stages V & VI, but now the play has sequence.
• Events are not isolated – The sequence evolves, it isn’t planned…..Example: Child mixes cake, bakes it, serves it, washes the dishes
• Compensatory toy – reenactment of experienced events with new outcomes
• Associative play

Question 15

What is the age range of Stage VIII?

Answer 15

• 3 to 3 & 1/2 years old

Question 16

What happens in Stage VIII?

Answer 16

• Carries out play activities of previous stages with a doll house and Fisher-Price toys
• Uses blocks and sandbox for imaginative play; primarily as enclosures like a fence for animals or dolls
• Play not totally stimulus bound: Ch uses one object to represent another.
• Uses doll or puppet as participant in play

Question 17

What is the Age for Stage IX?

Answer 17

3 & 1/2 to 4 yrs old

Question 18

What happens in Stage IX?

Answer 18

• Begins to problem-solve events not experienced.
• Plan ahead – Hypothesizes “What would happen if..”
• Uses dolls and puppets to act out scenes
• Builds 3-dimensional structures with blocks which are attempts at reproducing specific structures child has seen.

Question 19

What is the age for Stage X?

Answer 19

5 years old

Question 20

What happens in Stage X?

Answer 20

• Plans a sequence of pretend events
• Organizes what he needs – both objects and other children
• Coordinates more than one event occurring at a time
• Highly imaginative. Sets the scene without realistic props
• Full cooperative play