Results of an experimental study of playing activity of 2-3 year old children are reported. It has been shown that at this age children turn to games based on a plot and a distribution of roles; they are also capable of representing real-life social relations in the activities with toys. An age-specific procedure is suggested to test the developmental level of the play activity (the material used in it helps to form in a child the ability to actualize in an individual game his social experience).