Lucky Kidlearning through play: a guide for parents

An independent guide for parents about developmental games at home. Not a children's center or a shop, and not connected to the previous site on this domain. Discuss questions about your child's development with a pediatrician and specialists.

Glossary

Glossary

Conversations about developmental play are full of words that sound a bit scientific: fine motor skills, spatial thinking, cooperative play. On this page we explain them in plain language and show what they look like in everyday play at home.

A term isn't there to grade a child — it's there to help the adult notice what the child is learning right now.

— From the editors

How this section works: terms are split into two groups — types of play and the skills they build. The definitions are general and are not a description of what a child must be able to do by a certain age.

Types of play

Pretend play
Play in which a child acts out a story: taking care of a sick doll, selling pies, going on a visit. It brings in roles, dialogue and imaginary objects.
Cooperative play
A game where all players work together against a shared challenge rather than against each other. Great for children who still find losing hard.
Competitive play
A game in which each player has their own goal and someone comes out first at the end. It teaches accepting any outcome, as long as an adult helps the child handle it calmly.
Game with rules
A game where players agree in advance on what's allowed and what isn't. Rules can be simplified, but it's best to change them before starting, not in the middle of a round.
Free play
Play with no set goal that the child invents and leads. The adult keeps an eye on things and offers support but doesn't steer.

Skills in play

Fine motor skills
Precise movements of the fingers and hands: picking up a small object, threading a large bead onto a string, turning a building piece. Practiced through modeling clay, drawing and building.
Spatial thinking
The ability to picture how objects are arranged and how they would look if turned or put together. It develops through building, cut-up pictures and mazes.
Rules and taking turns
Understanding that a game has an order and that players go one at a time. The ability to wait your turn comes gradually and with an adult's support.
Play vocabulary
Words a child learns and starts using in play: names of roles, actions and qualities of objects. It grows richer when an adult describes what's happening out loud.
Attention and memory
The ability to notice what has changed and to remember what was there. Well practiced in games where you find a missing object or repeat a sequence.
Sorting
Grouping objects by a shared quality: color, shape, size or purpose. It's where logic and the first ideas about counting begin.
  • Activities

    Short play activities by skill: what the game is, what it builds, and how to make it easier or harder.

  • Methods

    How to play with purpose: the child leads, the adult describes, and mistakes and repeats are part of the game.

  • FAQ

    Answers about safety, what to do when a game isn't working, and screens in the family.

Sources

  • Lucky Kid editorial materials

The guide is written in general terms, drawing on toy manufacturers' instructions, general safety advice from pediatricians and our editors' own experience. Every child plays and grows at their own pace, so adapt the ideas to your child and discuss any questions about their development with specialists.