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Home › Articles › Socializing › Side-by-Side in the Sandbox

Side-by-Side in the Sandbox

The Importance of Parallel Play in Toddlers

By Renee Roberson

Pages:  1  2  3  

  • Cooperative – Coordinating one's behavior with that of a peer. Everyone has a role, with the emergence of a sense of belonging to a group. Beginning of team work.

    • In essence, parallel play is an important part of child development and helps serve as a bridge between onlooker play and cooperative play, Honig says. She also says that there is no set age for when a child will begin to engage in parallel play, because it often depends on the relationship with the parent or caregiver and how often opportunities for social interaction occur.

    "We definitely start seeing toddlers engaging in parallel play in our Level Four classes, which includes 16- to 22-month-olds," says Beth Kenefick, manager of the Gymboree Play and Music franchise in Cornelius, N.C. "At that age, they are still a little more self-absorbed, but most of the children we see are interested in other children and want to be close to them, not necessarily to share, but to learn new things."

    Kenefick says that some small infants up to 6 months of age enjoy looking at each other and seeing what other babies around them are doing, but at that point it's more sensory awareness than any type of parallel play. In her experience, most toddlers begin interacting with each other a little more by the age of 22 months or so, but actual sharing doesn't necessarily occur until preschool age around 3 years old and up.

    Encouraging Parallel Play
    Leticia Lara, a licensed social worker and regional manager of outreach and professional development for the nonprofit organization Zero to Three, recommends parents take the following things into consideration when encouraging parallel play:
    • Ease children slowly into the play setting. Read the child's cues to determine if he might need a little more space in an area to play or if he feels more comfortable with a parent or caregiver close by. It sometimes takes children a little while to warm up to new surroundings and playmates.

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