When does my toddler need to be around other children?
Children benefit from being with other children at a surprisingly early age. As a baby, your little one took delight in your company. Now that he's a toddler, his social circle is beginning to widen. But learning to make friends is a skill that he'll perfect over time.
As your child masters how to talk and communicate with others, he'll learn to relate to children his age. If he's already at a daycare or preschool, he's probably made friends with some of his peers by now. If so, you can invite one or two pals for a playdate on weekends or after school to help him deepen friendships.
If he's at home with you and hasn't been around other kids much, one good place to start helping him get to know other children is through a formal playgroup. You can find one through listings posted at your local community center, in your local parenting newspaper, or at the pediatrician's office. Or you could form one of your own by putting out feelers at these very same places. But your child's social needs don't necessarily have to be met through an official group. You can find other children at your neighborhood playground or children's museum; you can also enroll him in a gymnastics, art, or music class.
If your child is the gregarious sort, making friends will entail little more than introducing him to one child and putting a few toys in front of them. Before you know it, they'll probably be interacting with one another (they may play with a toy together, for example, or reach out to touch each other's face). They may even get into a typical toddler tiff over sharing (after all, learning to get along is part of refining social skills).
A shy child may not show an interest in others, but socialization
is still important. In a group of kids, he may be a little more reserved and may want to stay right next to you while he surveys the others. He may not even necessarily want to interact with anyone but you, which is fine since it'll take him time to get used to other children. Let him take things at his own pace. Forcing him to play with other toddlers won't be very much fun for him, and may even discourage him from exploring on his own.
For more on how to help your child make friends, read our article
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