Playing Together With Your 18 Months Old

Teaching a toddler how to be a good playmate goes a long way in enhancing their social skills. Children learn a lot from playing with each other. Hence, as a parent, this should be the first step in helping your kid get along and make friends.

Teaching a toddler how to be a good playmate goes a long way in enhancing their social skills. Children learn a lot from playing with each other. Hence, as a parent, this should be the first step in helping your kid get along and make friends.

If you’re the parent of a toddler whose only playmate is yourself, you shall soon be given to wondering when your toddler is going to make friends. That responsibility rests solely in your hands. Encouraging your kid to play with others is how you, as a parent and role model, can help her understand the art of forming friendships and the virtue of sharing.

How to Teach a Toddler to Play Together

1. Be Your Toddler’s Playmate

In order to get your child accustomed to playing in company, you need to play with toddlers at home. That means you need to become your toddler’s playmate. This is a good way to teach your child the joy of sharing and forging bonds. Rope in your husband or other family members too and play in turns with your kid’s toys. This will not only encourage sharing but will also get your toddler more accustomed to playing amidst people.

2. How and When Do Toddlers Play Together?

Be it at the park, a kid’s party or your neighbour’s house, make sure to introduce your kid to other kids. Now is the time to encourage your child to be friends with people apart from his caregivers. This is the best way to get your child familiar to other kids his age.

3. Encourage Play Dates

If you have neighbours, friends or anyone who has children close to your toddler’s age, get all those toddlers playing together. Set up play dates. While it might take some getting used to, creating playing opportunities in each other’s homes or the neighbourhood park is the ideal way to help your kid respond positively to other kids.

4. Redirect Negative Behaviour into Positive Activity

When children get together there’s bound to be hitting, pushing and grabbing. This is typical toddler behaviour. Rather than always telling the kids what’s wrong from right, talk to them and help them see each other’s point of view. Change the activity if need be to redirect their energy into something positive. By doing this, you’ll be well on your way to teaching a toddler how to be a good playmate.

5. Keep Your Toddler’s Needs in Focus

Playing together with an 18-month-old also requires that you pay attention to their needs of the moment. If your child is tired, sleepy, hungry or cranky for whatever reasons, conflicts with playmates are bound to happen. It’s therefore, essential to read their mood and support play at a time that’ll allow them to enjoy each other’s company.

Getting your toddler used to the idea of playmates isn’t a day’s work. It takes time and patience, and sometimes a whole lot of effort. As parents, don’t get too involved in children’s squabbles. Leaving them to sort out their own problems will boost their problem-solving ability as much as sharpen their social skills. It’s why play is important for children.