Is It Necessary for Toddlers to Play with Other Toddlers?

I have a 20 month old and 4 year old boy. I see both sides. My boys love to play with each other. But, my youngest also seems to enjoy playing with kids his own age. I think it's good for them to have peers their own age too. I think once he stops taking that morning nap you'll have more opportunity to join a moms club. I am part of MOMSclub and MOPS. Both are great for moms and kids to interact with other kids their same age. www.momsclub.org and www.mops.org can help you find groups near you. The great thing you are doing is getting him involved with other kids, reguarless of age, social play is good at this age.

M., your kid sounds awesome! think of it as early training for preschool and elementary. he will be the one the other kids want to model. my daughter, who is now three, was the same way. she has a 10yo brother so she learned to emmulate him and do "big boy things" at an early age. when she is around kids her own age she is very patient with them which is great because not all kids are. i take her to the play area at the mall often so she has interaction with kids her age and we had her in a gymnastics class for awhile with her age group. but other than that it's her brother and his friends that she plays with and i think it's great how mature she has become.

you know, my oldest son is now 17 and he never had any other toddlers to play with either. He hung out with adults (and preferred to hang with adults til he was about 8!).
The biggest things I noticed was that he was better spoken (not just in phrases and pronunciation, but thought process was like an adult- If you had him on the phone at 7, you would think you were talking to a 30 yr old)- he never had any of the sharing problems, no discipline problems- he was a DREAM child! He is now very intelligent and does things he loves to do, and though he has a lot of friends his age, he still has more "older" friends, which is nice as it gives him an extra edge for the music business he is working into... I think it is a GREAT thing myself.

My twins are two, however, and I have a LOT of sharing issues, discipline problems, screaming, fighting, etc (not constantly, but enough of it!)-- they play together well, but also screams and "jockey for position" a lot too. They still aren't saying more than one word at a time and they are 25/26 months old!

I didn't realize how nice it was raising one who was around other adults and older kids most of the time! Enjoy!

Based on my college early education classes and my own experience I believe it is definitly alright for a 15 mos old to not play with other toddlers. Most toddlers don't actually play with each other anyway. They play side by side. This is an age during which they are learning to be more independant and I think that it might be beneficial for them to not have to interact on any level with another toddler for very long. Your son has already learned social skills that most toddlers have not learned.

My granddaughter who is now 7 did not play with other toddlers and she is very social with an outgoing personality. She did spend a lot of time with a couple of neighbor girls who were 10 and 11 at the time. She started preschool/day care when she was around 3 and adjusted well.

My granddaughter developed an extensive vocabulary earlier than most and I suspect this is due to her being around adults and older children. She is still ahead vocabulary wise as well as more intuitive about complex subjects than most kids her age. I'm still surprised by some of her descriptions of events that's she's observed or been curious about. That may be due to her own
personality.

I think that your son is doing just fine. His behavior and advanced skills in some areas will work to his advantage as he gets older and when he enters preschool or kindergarten if he does. I think that playing with toddlers might be difficult for him because he has learned how to play and get along with older boys. It sounds to me that he is more advanced in social skills than most kids his age. And that he is thriving. I wouldn't be concerned about playing with other toddlers.

Think of a kid with multiple older siblings. They usually won't have anyone their age to play with right. I had three younger brothers and for the most part we had each other to play with. My mom did have some friends with kids that we would hang out with once and awhile.

Being around the older kids will help him adjust to school when he is older. The sharing will definitely come in handy. My kids have run into a few kids that just don't like sharing because they never had to. I wouldn't worry unless the behaviour is dangerous. I personally don't do weapon toys before 6-7 years because of the comprehension of weapons hurt, they're not toys isn't there, but again that is a personal decision.

Also, speaking in phrases and sentances at his age is a little advanced and is wonderful! With the older influence you will probably have an easier time with potty training, learning to read, writing legiably, etc. (don't count on it though because older influence did not help my daughter with potty training LOL)

If you are still a little concern, the 12 and 8yo are old enough to understand that littler kids need special consideration sometimes. They might not be thinking of that because it sounds like he is holding his weight with the big kids.

I had this with my son. I have a 7 year old Step daughter and I take care of other kids during the week and during the weekends. A lot of them are older, and just recently now I have one who is his age. Before when he was a baby all he knew were the big kids, he hadnt really been around kids his own age. His pediatrician told me he needs to be around children his own age or when he gets older and he starts preschool he's gonna be at a loss as to how to interact with them. I put him in day care for a few hours a day and now he is in preschool and doing great. So I would say yes he needs kids his own age.

Children who aren't exposed at least a bit to kids their own age can have trouble in school connecting with their peers as they get older. Not all children do, but that is always a huge possibility. It can make their school experience very difficult.

Sounds like he's doing fine now, so just keep doing what your doing, and I think things will fall into place for you and DS.

I think he's fine..
15 mo old children don't play together anyhow...
they usually can't figure that out really until they are 3 years old or a little older and can follow the "rules" of the games.

In my experience the 15 mo old children go around knocking down everyone elses creations..

He's probably gaining tons of great experience playing with the big kids.. he'll know exactly how to play once he's 3.

Hi there! From my own experience as a nanny and mom, I think it is definitely VERY helpful for toddlers to play with other toddlers. Being around children of all ages is also great, but watching my little boy interact with kids around the same developmental level is very different. they can teach each other soooo much. 8 and 12 year olds probably aren't too interested in the workings of a door hinge, and probably bore pretty easily reading A-B-C books! I noticed that when my son is around older kids, sometimes he is a little more of a spectator, and with other little toddlers, he is a do-er and is more involved. the socialization just seems different. Also, if you are planning on having your little one in pre-school eventually, it will be a great help, and make it MUCH easier for him adjust. He is going to encounter other ( sometimes not so nice ) toddlers at some point, so why not get him used to sharing, and learning how to deal with other little ones who also think the world revolves around them! good luck!

Coming from the large family that I do, we had a very wide range of age exposure. It wasn't problematic by any means, but it was very important to be around our own age groups. As cool as it may seem for our kids to mimic the activities and such of older children, the problem could arise that the child has a hard time relating to their own age group. The best thing to do would be to find a happy medium of exposure, like maybe a play group where your little one can learn the social skills needed to function sucessfully in society. Good Luck

Some kids just always play with older (or younger) children. I did. My sister did and so does my son. I don't think it matters as long as he plays. If he didn't have a social skills after being with the older one for so long. Try not to worry, kay. Good luck.