Table 1: Developmental Playscale

Phase 1: Presymbolic
PLAY
Communication
Object Permanence Means-End/Problem Solving Object Use
Presymbolic Level I: 8 to 12 months
___ Aware that objects ___ Attains toy by pulling ___ Explores moveable ___ Joint attention on toy and
exist when not seen; finds cloth on which toy is resting parts of toy person
toy hidden under cloth, box, ___ Attains toy by pulling ___ Does not mouth all ___ No true language; may have
etc., string toys. Uses several different per formative words that are
___ Associates object with ___ Touches adult to schemes (patting, banging, associated with action or the total
location continue activity turning, throwing, etc.); situation
uses some differential ___ Shows and gives objects
schemas on familiar objects Exhibits the following
communicative intents:
___ Request (instrumental)
___ Command (regulatory)
Presymbolic II: 13 to 17 months
___ Aware that objects ___ Understands “in-ness;” ___ Recognizes operating ___ Context dependent single
exist separate from dumps objects out of bottle parts of toys (attends to words, e.g., child may use the
location; finds objects ___ Hands toy to adult if knobs, levers, buttons) word “car” when riding in a car, but
hidden in first one place unable to operate ___ Discovers operations of not when he sees a car; words
and then in a second or ___ Hands toy to adult to toys through trial and error tend to come and go in child’s
third location get attention ___ Construction of toy vocabulary
___ Uses index finger to relationships (e.g, puts one Exhibits the following
point to desired object toy in another such as communicative functions:
figure in car; nests boxes) ___ Request
___ Uses familiar objects ___ Protest
appropriately ___ Command
___ Label
___ Interactional
___ Greeting
___ Response
___ Personal

Phase 2: Symbolic
Decontextualization Thematic Content Organization Self/Other Function Form and Content
What props are used What How coherent and Relations
in pretend play? schemas/scripts logical are the What roles does
does the child child’s the child take and
represent? schemas/scripts? give to toys and
other people?
PLAY LANGUAGE
Symbolic level I: 17-19 months
___ Child exhibits ___ Familiar, ___ Short ___ Self as agent ___ Directing ___ Beginning of true
internal mental everyday activities isolated schemas (auto-symbolic or ___ Requesting verbal communication.
representation in which child has (single pretend self-representational ___ Commanding Words have following
___ Tool-use (uses been an active actions) play, i.e., child ___ Interactional functional and semantic
stick to reach toy) participant (eating, pretends to go to Self-maintaining relations:
___ Finds toy sleep, to eat from a
sleeping) ___ Protesting ___ Recurrence
spoon, or to drink
invisibly hidden ___ Protecting self ___ Existence
from an empty cup)
(when placed in a box and self interests ___ Nonexistence
and box emptied Commenting ___ Rejection
under scarf) ___ Labeling ___ Denial
___ Pretends using (objects and activity) ___ Agent
life-like props ___ Indicating ___ Object
___ Does not stack personal feeling ___ Action or state
solid ring ___ Object or person
associated with object
or person
Westby, C.E. (2000). A scale for assessing development of children’s play. In K Gitlin-Weiner, A. Sandgrun , & C. Schaefer (Eds.), Play diagnosis and
assessment. New York: Wiley. Page 1 of 3
Decontextualization Thematic Content Organization Self/Other Function Form and Content
What props are used What How coherent and Relations
in pretend play? schemas/scripts logical are the What roles does
does the child child’s the child take and
represent? schemas/scripts? give to toys and
other people?
Symbolic Level II: 19-22 months
___ Activities of ___ Short, isolated ___ Child acts on ___ Refers to Beginning of word
familiar others schema doll (Doll is passive objects and combinations with
(cooking, reading, combinations (child recipient of action; persons not present following semantic
cleaning, shaving) combines two brushes doll’s hair, ___ Requests relations:
actions or toys in covers doll with information ___ Agent-Action
pretend, e.g., blanket) ___ Action-object
rocking doll and ___ Child ___ Agent-object
putting it to bed; performs pretend ___ Attributive
pouring from pitcher actions on more
into cup, or feeding ___ Dative
than one object or ___ Action-locative
doll from plate with person, (e.g., feeds
spoon) ___ Possessive
self, a doll, mother,
or another child)
Symbolic Level III: 2 years
___ Elaborated ___ Reverses ___ Comments on ___ Uses phrases and
single schemas roles--”I’ll play you activity of self (get short sentences
(represents daily and you play me.” apple) Appearance of
experiences with ___Comments on morphological markers:
details, e.g., puts lid doll (baby sleep) ___ Present
on pan, puts pan on progressive (ing) on
stove; collects items
verbs
associated with
cooking/ eating such ___ Plurals
as dishes, pans, ___ Possessives
silverware, glasses,
highchair)
Symbolic Level IV: 2 1/2 years
Represents less ___ Talks to doll Responds appropriately
frequently ___ Reverses to the following WH
personally dyadic/ questions in context:
experienced complementary ___ What
events, particularly roles (“I’ll play x and ___ Who
those that are you play y.”, e.g. ___ Whose
memorable doctor/ patient; ___ Where
because they are shopper/cashier) ___ What...do
pleasurable or ___ Asks WH question
traumatic: (generally puts WH at
___ Store beginning of sentence)
shopping ___ Responses to why
___ Doctor-nurse- questions inappropriate
sick child except for well-known
routines
___ Asks why but often
inappropriate and does
not attend to answer
Symbolic Level V: 3 Years
___ Compensatory ___ Evolving ___ Transforms ___ Reporting ___ Uses past tense,
play: (Re-enacts episode sequences self into role ___ Predicting such as, “I ate the
experienced events, (child mixes cake, ___ Engages in ___ Emerging cake,” “I walked”
but modifies original bakes it, washes associative play, narrating or story- ___ Uses future aspect
outcomes) dishes; or doctor (i.e., children do telling (particularly “gonna”
checks patient, calls similar activities, may forms, such as “I’m gonna
ambulance, takes share same role, but wash dishes.”)
patient to hospital; no organized goal)
sequence not
planned)
Westby, C.E. (2000). A scale for assessing development of children’s play. In K Gitlin-Weiner, A. Sandgrun , & C. Schaefer (Eds.), Play diagnosis and
assessment. New York: Wiley. Page 2 of 3
Decontextualization Thematic Content Organization Self/Other Function Form and Content
What props are used What How coherent and Relations
in pretend play? schemas/scripts logical are the What roles does
does the child child’s the child take and
represent? schemas/scripts? give to toys and
other people?
Symbolic Level VI: 3 to 3 1/2 Years
___ Carries out ___ Represents ___ Child assigns ___ Projecting: Descriptive vocabulary
pretend activities observed events, roles to other gives desires, expands as child
with replica toys (i.e., events in which children; thoughts, feelings, becomes more aware
(Fisher Price/ child was not an negotiates play to doll or puppet of perceptual
Playmobil dollhouse, active participant ___ Multiple ___ Uses indirect attributes; uses terms
barn, garage, village,(policemen, firemen, reversible roles requests, (e.g., for following concepts
airport) war, cowboys,
(“I’ll be a and b and “mommy lets me have (not always correctly):
___ Uses one schemas/scripts
you be x“, e.g., cookies for ___ shapes
object to represent from TV shows -- child is ticket seller, breakfast.”) ___ sizes
another (Stick can be Batman, Ninja pilot, and airline ___ Changes ___ colors
Turtles, Power
a comb, chair can be steward, but co- speech depending ___ textures
Rangers)
a car) player is always on listener
___ Uses blocks passenger) ___ spatial
___ Reasoning ___ Uses
and sandbox for Uses doll or (integrates reporting, metalinguistic and
imaginative play. puppet as predicting, projecting
Blocks used as participant in metacognitive
information)
enclosures (fences, play: ___ Metacomm. language, (e.g., “He
___ Child talks said...;” I know....”)
houses) for animals strategies
and dolls for doll
___ Reciprocal
role taking-- child
talks for doll and
as parent of doll
Symbolic Level VII: 3 1/2 to 4 Years
___ Uses language ___ Improvisation ___ Schemas/ ___ Uses dolls ___ Uses ___ Uses modals (can,
to invent props and and variations on scripts are and puppets to language to take could, may, might, would)
set scene themes planned act out roles of character in ___ Uses conjunctions
___ Builds 3- ___ Hypothesizes schemas/scripts the play, stage (and, but, so, because, if)
dimensional “what would ___ Child or doll manager for the NOTE: Full competence
structures with happen if/” has multiple roles props, or as author for modals and
conjunctions does not
blocks (e.g., mother and of the play story
develop until 10-12 years
wife; fireman,
of age.
husband, father)
___ Some appropriate
responses to why and
how questions requiring
reasoning
Symbolic Level VIII: 5 years
___ Can use ___ Highly ___ Plans several ___ Engages in ___ Uses relational
language to set the imaginative sequences of collaborative play, terms (then, when,
scene, actions, and activities that pretend events. i.e., play roles first, last, next, while,
roles in play integrate parts of Organizes what is coordinated and before, after) Note: Full
known needed -- both themes are goal- competence does not
schemas/scripts for objects and other directed develop until 10-12 years
events child has children. of age.
never participated Coordinates
in or observed several scripts
(e.g., astronaut occurring
builds ship, flies to simultaneously
strange planet,
explores, eats
unusual food, talks
with creatures on
planet)

Westby, C.E. (2000). A scale for assessing development of children’s play. In K Gitlin-Weiner, A. Sandgrun , & C. Schaefer (Eds.), Play diagnosis and
assessment. New York: Wiley. Page 3 of 3