Toddlers are beginning to interact with the world around them and are able to begin building friendships. Because toddlers are still often self-absorbed during playtime and also are still in the process of learning how to share, you can offer activities that are fun to do independently, but with others. For example, you could set up a table for finger painting and let your child and his friend each have his own paper and paints. Another idea for encouraging toddler friendships is to make a book of photographs of your toddler's friends. When you read books with your child, you can look through the friend book and talk about the friends: "Who is this? Yes, it's Alice. Wasn't it nice to play with Alice at the park the other day?"
As toddlers make friends and begin to interact more with other people, plenty of conflicts will arise, many of them involving struggles with sharing. Toddlers have a naturally selfish impulse, and they need practice and encouragement to overcome this tendency and learn to share with others. Part of learning to share is learning to sympathize with the feelings of others. To help your child learn the importance of sharing, talk to him about a friend's feelings when he refuses to share with that friend: "You took the bal away from Aden and told him he couldn't play ball with you. Do you see his face now? Why is he so sad? What should you do with the ball?" Talking through issues like this will help your toddler begin to learn the importance of sharing.
While toddlers still rely heavily on the presence and support of loving parents, they are also beginning to develop a sense of independence. They are excited to learn how to do things on their own, and to successfully accomplish tasks without help. ("Look, Papa! I did it by myself!") As a parent, encourage your child to develop skills and decision-making abilities, but still be present for your child when she needs you. Allow her to take the lead in playtime and to suggest activities she would like to do. Also allow her to work on tasks by herself. If you notice she is becoming frustrated, offer to help her and praise her for her efforts.
Toddlers are starting to understand the importance of cooperating with others, but they struggle to know how to deal with feelings like anger and sadness. It is important to help your child learn how to deal with difficult feelings and to resolve conflicts well with others. Help your toddler understand that it is not acceptable to hurt others in a moment of anger; instead, give him other options for dealing with his angry feelings (for example, running in the yard, hitting a pillow or coming to you for a hug). If a toddler has hurt a sibling or friend, talk to him about what he has done: "Do you see how Robin is crying? You hit her, and that hurt her and made her cry." Accompany your child to make things right with a friend -- this can be as simple as having him give a hug or a toy to the friend he has hurt.