Onlooker Play

Have you ever noticed a child observing another child play? This is called Onlooker Play. Children may also watch what you or other adults around them are doing. Onlooker play is typical in 2 to 3 year olds and is especially common when children are working on their vocabulary.

You might worry that your child is losing interest in social interactions because they are not actively involved in the play. Seeing this happen is actually cause for celebration - your child now knows there are other children in the room, and wants to learn how to interact with them! This stage builds on Unoccupied and Solitary Play. Perhaps the child feels tentative, wants to learn the social rules, is gaining confidence or is learning the framework for future stages of play.

Children may look up from their own task while engaging in Onlooker Play, but will be observing as opposed to playing alongside others. They might comment on the observed activities.

Onlooker play doesn’t require any special set-up. It is an ongoing process that happens naturally when your child is around other children the same age or older. If your child likes what they see, they will stop what they are doing and watch what others are doing. They will soak in new experiences by observing the activities of others around them.

By participating in Onlooker Play, children are sharpening their perception, attention, memory and thinking skills. They are noticing how gestures and words are used, so they are building their language skills. This is all laying the groundwork for the more complex symbols used in writing and maths that they will need later in life.