Develop play skills
It doesn’t always go smoothly at this age, but toddlers develop the skills to play, understand, express themselves, and even plan and think when they play with others. These skills remain important for life, and they start now!
Invite friends over for share time: Builds emotional connections
Inviting friends over and providing food and toys for sharing helps children build emotional connections, as they develop friendships and learn about others. Strong emotional bonds are the number one contributor to growing resilient kids. It creates the foundations of friendships, with connections that bolster confidence and wellbeing.
Dr Justin Coulson
Parenting Expert
Feel connected
Even toddlers love to be with their friends. Sure, they don’t communicate well, they sometimes fight, and sharing is a challenge. But, we’re wired to be social from the earliest age and feeling like there’s a village builds a sense of safety – and resilience.
Self-regulation
Toddlers aren’t known for regulating emotions and behaviours. But playing with friends can teach the basics even at this age. Toddlers learn to wait, respond to another toddler ‘grabbing’ their stuff, or go solo. They might even learn to play together (eventually).