Friendships are starting to form—let's give them practice playing together.
These activities encourage cooperative play, sharing, taking turns, and understanding others' feelings.
Your child is transitioning from parallel play to interactive play. They begin to play cooperatively, though sharing remains genuinely difficult. They develop preferences for specific playmates and ask for friends by name.
Facilitate small playdate experiences with one or two peers. Coach through conflicts rather than solving them: 'You both want the truck. What could we do?' These early social problem-solving moments build the skills for lifelong relationships.
Early cooperative play at two years builds turn-taking, empathy, and the conflict resolution skills that form the foundation of all healthy relationships.
Attention spans are growing—15-20 minutes is realistic for a focused activity. Watch for the wiggles as your cue to wrap up.
Process over product. Two-year-olds care about squeezing, pouring, and smearing—not making something recognizable.
Narrate everything. Describing what they're doing builds vocabulary and helps them make sense of their actions.
Routines reduce meltdowns. Do activities at the same time each day so your child knows what to expect.
Build a block tower together, each person adding one block at a time — the simplest and most satisfying way to practice turn-taking.
Fill a basket with appealing toys and practice handing them back and forth with your toddler — a gentle introduction to sharing.
Set up a simple tea party with cups and a pretend pot — practicing sharing, turn-taking, and social manners through imaginative play.
Practice the 'give me, thank you' exchange with everyday objects — teaching toddlers the social rhythm of giving and receiving.
Use a stuffed animal or real pet to practice gentle touching — teaching toddlers to be kind and careful with living things.
Look through a board book showing different emotions together, naming each feeling and making the face — building early emotion recognition.