Play builds your child's creativity and imagination as well as other skills. Whether it is simply rolling a ball back and forth with a sibling or putting on a costume and imagining she's an astronaut—she's developing important social skills such as learning to take turns, cooperation, and getting along with others.

Does all play look the same to you? Sociologist Mildred Parten describes six types of play that a child will take part in, depending on their age, mood, and social setting:

Unoccupied Play

Unoccupied play refers to activity when a child actually isn't playing at all. He may be engaged in seemingly random movements, with no objective. Despite appearances, this definitely is play and sets the stage for future play exploration.

Solitary (Independent) Play

Solitary play is just what it sounds like—when your child plays alone. This type of play is important because it teaches a child how to keep himself entertained, eventually setting the path to being self-sufficient. Any child can play independently, but this type of play is the most common in younger children around ages 2 or 3. At that age, they are still pretty self-centered and lack good communication skills. If a child is on the shy side and doesn't know his playmates well, he may prefer this type of play.

Onlooker Play

Onlooker play is when a child simply observes other children playing and doesn't partake in the action.

It's common for younger children who are working on their developing vocabulary. Don't worry if your little one is behaving this way. It could be that the child feels shy, needs to learn the rules, or maybe is the youngest and wants just to take a step back for a while.

Parallel Play

Put two 3-year-olds in a room together