In what kind of play do children engage in separate activities but exchange toys and comments?

The type of play in which children engage in separate activities while still exchanging toys and comments is known as associative play. This stage of play typically occurs when children are around the ages of 3 to 4 years old and becomes increasingly common as they begin to develop social skills. In associative play, while each child is focused on their own activity, they start to interact with one another through sharing materials, commenting on each other's actions, and showing interest in what others are doing.

This interaction differs from cooperative play, where children work together toward a common goal or outcome, and from parallel play, where children play side by side in their own activities without much direct interaction. Rough and tumble play, on the other hand, typically involves physical activity and play fighting, which does not align with the form of social interaction characterized in associative play. Thus, the correct answer accurately reflects the nature of this stage of child development and social play.