Describe Mildred Parten's patterns of play. What role does play have in a child's life?

Mildred Parten outlined sixtypes of play. They are (1) unoccupied play - children do not appear to be playing, (2) solitary play - children play with toys by themselves, (3) onlooker play - children observe other children who are at play, (4) parallel play - children play with similar toys to those of surrounding children, (5) associative play - children interact and share toys, and (6) cooperative play - there is a division of labor and children take on different roles and there are group rules. Play serves multiple functions. First and foremost, it's fun. Second, it serves to assist children in acquiring many important skills and abilities such as social skills, learning to imagine and pretend, learning to take turns, and cooperation.