There are many different types of play. We may have heard terms like heuristic play, solitary play, parallel play and cooperative play. However, for the purposes of this week, the following definitions might be useful:

• Adult-led activity: the adult has planned the activity and is in control, staying with the child while the activity takes place
• Adult-initiated activity or play: the adult sets up the resources or the activity and guides the experience
• Child-led play: the activity or resources are freely chosen by the child. The child is in control of the activity. This type of play is often referred to as open-ended play.

Heuristic play is rooted in young children’s natural curiosity. As babies grow, they move beyond being content to simply feel and ponder objects, to wanting to find out what can be done with them. Toddlers have an urge to handle things: to gather, fill, dump, stack, knock down, select and manipulate in other ways. Household or kitchen utensils offer this kind of activity as every parent knows, and can occupy a child for surprising stretches of time. When toddlers make an enjoyable discovery – for instance when one item fits into another, or an interesting sound is produced – they often repeat the action several times to test the result, which strengthens cognitive development as well as fine muscle control and hand/eye coordination.