Fundamentals of Nursing Q 243
When observing 4-year-old children playing in the hospital playroom, what activity would the nurse expect to see the children participating in?
A. Competitive board games with older children.
B. Playing with their own toys alongside other children.
C. Playing alone with handheld computer games.
D. Playing cooperatively with other preschoolers.
Correct Answer: D. Playing cooperatively with other preschoolers.
Playing cooperatively with other preschoolers. Cooperative play is typical of the late preschool period. Cooperative play is the final stage of play and represents the child’s ability to collaborate and cooperate with other children towards a common goal. Children often reach the cooperative stage of play between 4 and 5 years of age after they have moved through the earlier five stages of play.
Option A: Competitive play is when children learn to play organized games with clear rules and clear guidelines on winning and losing. Ludo, snake and ladders, and football are all forms of competitive play.
Option B: After mastering onlooker play, a child will be ready to move into parallel play. During parallel play, children will play beside and in proximity to other children without actually playing with them. Children often enjoy the buzz that comes with being around other kids, but they don’t yet know how to step into others’ games or ask other kids to step into their games.
Option C: Encourage the child to play with others and be active several times a week instead of spending time in front of a screen. This can help to build healthy, active bodies. (To be clear, learning can happen during screen time, too — just not this specific type of learning.)