The Causes and Consequences of “Playing Alone” in Childhood

In this chapter we examine different types of nonsocial play in early childhood. Young children may play alone for many different reasons – and these different reasons appear to be reflected in the structural forms of their solitary activities. For example, whereas some types of behavioral solitude are normative and relatively benign (e.g., solitary-passive play), others may be markers for underlying socio-emotional difficulties (e.g., reticent behavior, solitary-active play). This chapter reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on nonsocial play and describes the various putative “causes and consequences” of playing alone in early childhood.