Toddler Social Skills: What to Expect by Age and How to Help

Published 1 June 2026 · Updated 16 October 2026 · By Gymbo, Lead Teacher at Gymboree Play & Music Dubai

In short: Toddler social skills grow in stages. Around 15 months, toddlers often play beside other children (parallel play). By 2, most notice when someone is upset, and by 3, most join other children to play. Real sharing usually comes at 3–4. You help most by playing together, naming feelings and giving regular time with other children.

Two toddlers crawl into the same tunnel from opposite ends. They meet in the middle, stare at each other, and both reach for the same red ball. One shrieks. The other bursts into tears.

If you've watched a scene like that and wondered whether your child is "good with other children", you're not alone. The truth is that toddler social skills look messy because they're brand new. This guide covers what's normal at each age from 1 to 3, why sharing comes later than most parents expect, and simple ways to help your toddler get along with others.

What are toddler social skills?

Toddler social skills are the early ways children notice, copy, connect with and respond to other people. At this age they're less about friendship and more about learning that other people have their own wants and feelings.

They include:

• Noticing others: watching another child, copying their game, pointing to show you something.
• Reading faces: looking at you to see how to react in a new situation.
• Early empathy: pausing or looking sad when another child cries.
• Taking turns: first with you in simple games, later with other children.
• Joining in: moving from playing beside others to playing with them.
• Communicating: using gestures, then words, to ask, show and share ideas.

Social skills by age, from 1 to 3

Social skills follow a rough order, but every child moves at their own pace. The milestones below come from the CDC, which lists skills most children (75% or more) can do by each age, and from ZERO TO THREE, a US early childhood organisation.

Notice how late "plays with other children" appears. For most of the toddler years, playing side by side is the normal, healthy stage, not a sign your child is antisocial.

Why won't my toddler share?

Because they're not ready yet. ZERO TO THREE says "the concept of sharing is not usually developmentally appropriate until between 3-4 years old," and that two children wanting the same toy "is developmentally expected."

To share, a child has to understand that another person wants something too, wait, and trust that the toy will come back. Most toddlers are still working on all three.

What helps instead:

• Have two of the same. ZERO TO THREE suggests duplicate toys to avoid constant tug-of-war.
• Take turns, not shares. "Your turn, then Adam's turn" is easier to understand than "share nicely."
• Use a song or a count. "When we've counted to ten, it's your sister's turn."
• Describe feelings. "She's sad. She wanted the ball." This builds empathy over time.
• Step in when needed. If someone may get hurt, or children need help calming down, move in calmly.

Why early social skills matter

These early skills shape how your child copes with nursery, preschool and friendships later. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says play with parents and peers is "a singular opportunity to promote the social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills that build executive function and a prosocial brain."

The benefits last. A long-term US study found that teachers' ratings of kindergarteners' social and emotional skills were linked to outcomes 13 to 19 years later, including education, employment and mental health.

If your child is a little older and you're weighing social skills against letters and numbers before preschool, read our guide to why playing with others matters before preschool.

How to help your toddler's social skills

You're your toddler's first playmate, and everyday back-and-forth with you is where social skills start. Harvard's Center on the Developing Child says "responsive, serve and return interactions with caregivers play an essential role in supporting healthy brain development."

Try these:

1. Play back-and-forth games. Peekaboo, rolling a ball between you, and "your turn, my turn" with blocks all practise turn-taking.
2. Name feelings out loud. "You're excited!" "He's sad because his tower fell." Words help toddlers recognise feelings in themselves and others.
3. Show what to do. Toddlers copy you. Say "please" and "thank you" to them, and model gentle hands with pets and babies.
4. Make time with other children. Short, regular time with the same few children is better than an occasional big party. The AAP says through play with peers, children learn "how to cooperate," "when to lead and when to follow" and "how to solve problems."
5. Don't over-plan playdates. The AAP's advice: "Do not overplan. Just set the stage with materials and ideas."
6. Sing and move together. In one study, 14-month-olds who were bounced in time to music with an adult were more likely to help that adult afterwards.
7. Play stop-and-go games. Harvard suggests games like freeze dance and simple turn-taking races for 18- to 36-month-olds. They build the attention and self-control that make group play easier.
8. Start small. ZERO TO THREE notes some children feel more comfortable approaching other children "in quieter spaces or smaller groups."

What if my toddler is shy?

Shy toddlers are building social skills too. They're just doing more watching first. The AAP says "most shy children, however, do well in relationships and in social settings."

Stay close, don't force it, and let your child join in when they're ready. Our guide to helping a toddler who won't join in group activities has step-by-step tips.

When should I talk to my paediatrician?

Talk to your paediatrician if your toddler isn't meeting social milestones for their age or has lost skills they once had. For example, by 18 months most children point to show you something interesting, by 2 most notice when others are hurt or upset, and by 3 most join other children to play.

The AAP recommends autism screening at 18 and 24 months, and the CDC advises acting early on any concern rather than waiting. Our guide is my toddler behind? explains the signs and where to get a check in Dubai.

How Gymboree toddler classes support social skills

A toddler class gives your child a small group of children the same age to watch, copy and play beside, every week, with you right there.

In Gymboree toddler classes, for children aged 10–28 months, parents and caregivers join in every activity. Songs, bubbles and parachute games give toddlers a shared focus, so they can be part of the group without having to talk or share yet. Everyone lifts the parachute together, everyone waits for the bubbles, and everyone sings the goodbye song.

The activities are planned by child development specialists with social and emotional development as one of three core areas, alongside thinking and physical development. For you, that means the turn-taking and togetherness come built into the fun. You'll also meet other parents going through the same stage.

"My daughter loves their Walkers class and has opened up a lot socially since joining!" — Serene A., Google review

Come and play together

Social skills grow through hundreds of small moments: a shared song, a turn on the slide, a stranger who becomes a familiar face. If you'd like your child to have more of those moments, book a preview class at The Springs Souk for AED 50. Have a question first? WhatsApp us on 050 464 6500.

Sources

1. CDC — Milestones
2. CDC — Important Milestones: Your Child By Two Years
3. CDC — Important Milestones: Your Child By 30 Months
4. CDC — Important Milestones: Your Child By Three Years
5. ZERO TO THREE — Parallel Play
6. Yogman et al., Pediatrics (2018) — The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children
7. Jones, Greenberg & Crowley, American Journal of Public Health (2015) — Early Social-Emotional Functioning and Public Health
8. Harvard Center on the Developing Child — Brain Architecture
9. American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) — Young Children Learn a Lot When They Play
10. Cirelli, Einarson & Trainor, Developmental Science (2014) — Interpersonal synchrony increases prosocial behavior in infants
11. Harvard Center on the Developing Child — Executive Function Activities for 18- to 36-month-olds
12. American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) — Shyness in Children

Gymbo is the Gymboree Play & Music mascot and our honorary lead teacher. Gymbo's posts are written with the early childhood educators who lead baby, toddler and preschool classes at Gymboree Play & Music Dubai, The Springs Souk.