Your 2-year-old now Whether your child is a social butterfly or
a wallflower, she'll begin to show an increasing interest in
other children. While their play may often look like a lot of
ignoring one another or bickering to you, these first
friendships are very real to your child. They also help
preschoolers practice social skills and add variety to their
play. If your child attends daycare, she may already be
gravitating to certain favorite playmates. If she's at home all
day, the playground and playdates are great opportunities for
interacting with other kids. To help foster early friendships: -
Keep playdates small. Having too many children in one place can
be overwhelming and invite fights. A good rule of thumb:
Children do well in groups the size of their age. So, 2-year-
olds do best in pairs. - Keep playtime short. Especially with
new friends, don't count on more than a half hour to an hour of
peaceful play at this age. - Mix up the ages. Your 2-year-old
can learn a lot from slightly older preschoolers