Toddlers do too play together!

[dreamshark]

Conventional wisdom has it that while toddlers may engage in "parallel play" they don't start playing together in any sense of the word until age two or three. Clearly, somebody out there is not paying attention to what children actually do.

This is parallel play. To the uninitated it doesn't look like play at all, but Lena wouldn't have gone to all the trouble to get herself into that tiny chair if she hadn't seen the other little girl sit down first. Parallel play is when they copy each other without actually interacting or even obviously looking at each other. So yeah, Lena definitely does that.

But here's Lena just a few weeks later taking turns on a toy with a slightly older baby. Lena, being an absolute whiz at pushing buttons, seems to be showing Vivvie how to work the thing. But there's no question that they were wandering around this party together checking out the toys and taking turns playing with them. I took this picture, so I saw them doing it.

 I also took these two shots of Lena and Nora playing together at Minicon. Lena just watched Nora for a while to figure out what the "game" was (picking up those little Disney characters and sticking them onto the Lego-like tower). Once she had it figured out she joined in, taking turns with Nora. Admittedly, it's a simple non-verbal game, but clearly cooperative. Nora is 3 or 4 so this is not actually 2 toddlers, but Nora didn't give Lena much direction (although she was very patient with her).


But these are the pictures that really put the lie to the claim that "toddlers don't play together." Lola is only 21 or 22 months old, and she is "reading" to Lena! I'm pretty sure that Lola can't actually read, but she likes to mother "Baby Lena" and she know that this is one of the things parents do with their babies. And Lena is happily playing along. Those are also Lena's new shoes on Lola's feet. Not even 2 and the girlfriends are swapping clothes! (I think Lola is very socially advanced).

Comments

[pameladean]

Well, you've convinced me, but then I kind of already knew this from observing my younger brothers.

Those photos are INSANELY CUTE.

P.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Some of this is mirroring what adults do. While I suspect you're right about toddlers playing together, a lot depends on how they were raised.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

There is a lot of variation. I lean more towards nature than nurture these days.

"Some of this is mirroring what adults do."

Or is it that adults mirror what toddlers do?

[seekerval.livejournal.com]

Adorable photos! Adorable subjects.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Mostly taken in PDX?

K.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

I took the one with Vivvie and the steam shovel when we were in Portland. The two with Nora were taken at Minicon. And the others were taken by Olin and texted to me.