NBPTS Early Childhood Generalist Component 1 Practice test

In Parten's Stages of Play, the stage where children begin to develop cooperation and language skills is known as associative play. During this stage, typically occurring around the ages of 3 to 4 years, children start to engage with one another in a more interactive manner, sharing materials and ideas. They may not yet have fully organized or structured play, as is seen in later stages, but they are increasingly beginning to communicate and collaborate with their peers.

At this point, children are not just playing next to one another but also participating in shared activities, exchanging ideas and materials, and verbalizing their needs and desires. This interaction is crucial for the development of social skills, language, and the ability to understand different perspectives, laying the groundwork for more complex forms of social interaction that emerge in later stages, such as cooperative play. In cooperative play, which follows associative play, children work together towards a common goal in a more organized way.