Keisha and Laura are sitting side by side and playing with toys. They are sharing their toys but otherwise they are not interacting with each other. Instead, each child is doing her own activity. Which of Parten's stages of play are these children demonstrating?

The answer is parallell play (fourth stage).

Explanation:

In this stage, children play next to each other but don't interact directly. There isn't any kind of social experience, but it might serve as a practice for further interactions. In other words, children in this stage are practicing skills to engage in the future.