Play and Social Skills Development Checklist

Instructions: Answer all questions up to your child’s current age bracket by answering ‘Yes’ on ‘No’.

Interpretation: If you tick 2 or more boxes with a ‘Yes’ contact Kid Sense Child Development on 1800 KIDSENSE (1800 543 736).

Does your child have difficulty with:

Age	Skill	Yes	No
0-6 months	Establishing eye contact (for a few seconds).
	Smiling when socially approached.
	Laughing in response to play
	Calming/settling (cries frequently).
	Manipulating and exploring objects.
6-12 months	Establishing eye contact (for a few seconds).
	Smiling when socially approached.
	Laughing in response to play.
	Calming/settling (cries frequently).
	Manipulating and exploring objects.
	Playing peek a boo.
	Clapping when prompted.
	Spontaneously lifting arms to parent.
	Spontaneously extend toys to others.
	Responding to facial expressions.
	Imitating an adult's actions.
	Spontaneously placing a doll with head upright and vertical to the ground.
1-2 years	Establishing eye contact.
	Smiling when socially approached.
	Laughing in response to play.
	Calming/settling (cries frequently).
	Manipulating and exploring objects.
	Clapping when prompted.
	Spontaneously lifting arms to parent.
	Spontaneously extend toys to others.
	Responding to facial expressions.
	Imitating an adult's actions.
	Spontaneously placing a doll with head upright and vertical to the ground.
	Identifying self in mirror.
	Spontaneously looking for hidden objects.
	Role playing simple actions previously seen.
	Imitating a pretend play action (e.g. giving a drink) or demonstrating play related to their body (e.g. sleeping, eating).
	Saying 'hi', 'bye' or 'please'.
2-3 years	Spontaneously looking for hidden objects.
	Role playing simple actions previously seen.
	Imitating a pretend play action (e.g. giving a drink) or demonstrating play related to their body (e.g. sleeping, eating).
	Verbalising their desires/feelings (e.g. 'I want a drink').
	Treating dolls or teddies as if they are alive.
	Playing beside other children.
	Using symbols in play such as a stick becoming a sword (beginning to).
	Engaging in play themes which reflect less frequently experienced life events (e.g. visiting the doctor).
3-4 years	Treating dolls or teddies as if they are alive.
	Playing beside other children.
	Using symbols in their play such as a stick becoming a sword.
	Engaging in play themes which reflect less frequently experienced life events (e.g. visiting the doctor).
	Playing with mechanical toys.
	Taking turns with other children.
	Playing with 2 or 3 children in a group.
	Engaging in play themes which expand beyond personal experience (e.g. fireman rescuing people).
	Talking about their feelings.
	Feeling shame when caught doing the wrong thing.
4-5 years	Playing with mechanical toys.
	Taking turns with other children.
	Playing with 2 or 3 children in a group.
	Engaging in play themes which expand beyond personal experience (e.g. fireman rescuing people).
	Talking about their feelings.
	Feeling shame when caught doing the wrong thing.
	Playing with other children with shared aims within play.
	Playing imaginatively for instance playing in the home-corner, dressing up and cooking.
	Engaging in games with simple rules (e.g. hide and seek).
5-6 years	Playing with other children with shared aims within play.
	Playing imaginatively for instance playing in the home-corner, dressing up and cooking.
	Engaging in games with simple rules (e.g. hide and seek).
	Engaging in play which includes themes never personally experienced (e.g. going to space).
	Negotiating during play.
	Engaging in well-organised play.
6-7 years	Engaging in play which includes themes never personally experienced (e.g. going to space).
	Negotiating during play.
	Engaging in well-organised play.
	Playing with small groups and making up their own games with rules.
	Playing co-operative games but not usually coping with losing.
	Enjoying play with other children of their own sex.
7-8 years	Engaging in play which includes themes never personally experienced (e.g. going to space).
	Negotiating during play.
	Engaging in well-organised play.
	Playing with small groups and making up their own games with rules.
	Playing co-operative games (getting better at coping with losing).
	Enjoying play with other children of their own sex.

This checklist was designed to serve as a functional screening of developmental skills per age group. It does not constitute an assessment nor reflect strictly standardised research.

The information in this checklist was compiled over many years from a variety of sources. This information was then further shaped by years of clinical practice as well as therapeutic consultation with child care, kindergarten and school teachers in South Australia about the developmental skills necessary for children to meet the demands of these educational environments. In more recent years, it has been further modified by the need for children and their teachers to meet the functional Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) requirements that are not always congruent with standardised research.