There’s a lot happening during play time. Little ones are lifting, dropping, looking, pouring, bouncing, hiding, building, and knocking down. Toddlers are just figuring out who they are. They like to play by themselves or with their parents and other trusted adults. When with other children, toddlers often like to watch and then copy what they see. They often play beside one another, but not usually together. This is a normal stage for toddlers, called “parallel play”.
Toddlers tend to define themselves by what belongs to them (my dad! my eyes! my toys! my teddy!). They are possessive and don’t share well. Once your toddler becomes comfortable with who he is and what belongs to him, he can then begin to learn to share, take turns and be part of a group.
You can help your child by:
Giving him the chance to be with other children
Sitting nearby on the floor when toddlers are playing together so you can step in if needed
Teaching and modeling sharing and turn-taking
When your toddler has a chance to play with you, he learns that he is loved, important and fun to be around.
These social – emotional skills will give him the self-confidence needed to build loving and supportive relationships all of his life!
