Sensorimotor or functional play

children’s behaviors become more flexible and when the infant repeats actions, she may do so with variations which can lead to new results. Trial-and-error is used in exploring and experimenting with objects and the environment.

•  Reflex activity

• Co-ordination of secondary circular reactions

• Secondary circular reactions

• Tertiary circular reactions

The child is by now not limited to acting directly on the world by physical actions, but was also able to have some mental representations of the world and things in the world (people, objects) within the brain. Besides manipulating objects directly in the physical world, he or she can also manipulate the mental representation of objects, thinking and planning. The child will also show full object and person permanence, that is, understanding that objects and people have continued existence and, if necessary, searching for them when out of sight.

• Secondary circular reactions

• Internal representation

• Co-ordination of secondary circular reactions

• Tertiary circular reactions

the baby may initiate new actions beyond the simple reflexes; she starts acting on objects beyond her own body, for example, repeatedly hitting a hanging toy.

• Tertiary circular reactions

• Internal representation

• o-ordination of secondary circular reactions

• Secondary circular reactions

 ): reflexes such as sucking and grasping, spontaneous rhythmic activity.

• Primary circular reactions

• Secondary circular reactions

• Reflex activity

•  Co-ordination of secondary circular reactions

the infant starts to coordinate different behaviors, such as grasping and sucking. This may be goal-related, such as hitting or pushing one object out of the way in order to grasp another.

• Reflex activity

• Co-ordination of secondary circular reactions

• Primary circular reactions

• Tertiary circular reactions

repeated reflexive behaviors or motor responses, generally centred on the baby’s own body, such as thumb sucking.

• Primary circular reactions

• Secondary circular reactions

• Internal representation