“In Parten's classification, the child's movement from solitary play to more social categories of play is a positive developmental step.” Parten believed that solitaire play was the least mature of the game types. However, contemporary research in older, socially adjusted preschoolers shows that solitary play may not be the product of social immaturity, but rather a desirable personal play choice (Frost). Smilansky and her phases of play Sarah Smilansky () was a senior researcher at the Henrietta Szold Institute: National Institute for Behavioral Science Research for the Ruth Bressler Center for Educational Research, as well as a professor at Tel Aviv University (curriculum). She was also a contemporary of Jean Piaget. Like Mildred Parten, Sarah Smilansky is well known for her four phases of play. The four phases are: functional play, constructive play, dramatic or symbolic play and games with rules (on the track). In functional play, children are just starting to learn and explore. They are examining and interacting with the world around them to learn the function of objects. Piaget e