Peer play helps your toddler develop simple social skills that continue to mature as he grows. Among other things, he also learns new games. Most 16 month-olds really like spending time and interacting within their own age group. Upon introduction, some toddlers dive into action and start playing with the other child; others hesitate due to shyness and prefer to stay close to their parents in the start. They prefer to size up the child, the situation before going forward; if shyness persists, some encouragement from you will be helpful. Whether old friends or new, the following behaviors are quite typical.


Watching.


All toddlers spend a lot of time looking at things; toddlers and adults learn a lot just by looking. Sometimes your child will stare openly at the other toddler or secretly watch from the corner of his eye. Watching increases as they become more familiar with their peers.



Solitary Play.


Two toddlers when put together will often play separately but near one another with their own toy. They may not play together but they enjoy being near each other playing separately; they probably enjoy this feeling of togetherness.



Parallel Play.


Sometimes you will notice that play entails a certain amount of interaction. Often it seems that they are ignoring each other but in fact they are playing with similar objects, which means they are not only noticing each other but also silently modeling one another's behavior. This is called parallel play.


Imitation.


Toddlers like to imitate each other more openly. A good percentage of toddler reactions are some type of imitation. The most common imitations included copying one another's sounds: laughing, cheering, shouting, sighing, squealing and the like.



Play with objects.


Toddlers spend a lot of time playing with toys in each other's company; sometimes each kid plays with a toy alone, sometimes this play involves subtle or direct imitation. Toddlers often show or offer toys as a way of engaging in social interaction since they don't know how to engage each other verbally. Snatching each other's toys is a common part of development. Grabbing toys is thought to be a way your toddler discovers how much power he has in relation to another person; it is considered a positive step by psychologists in developing his self-concept. At this stage you don't need to intervene unless it escalates into a fight; let the children work out the struggle themselves. However if one child is always having his toy snatched, you might encourage him to stand up for himself and not give in every time.



Parent's Role.


You don't really need to do anything special to encourage your toddler's social skills aside from making sure he has contact with his age-mates and enough of toys to play with. It is not advisable to leave them alone either. One reason for supervision is they often treat each other as objects; usually these pokes and probes are gentle but should they get rough, your intervention is necessary. Stop the child as you explain to him that he must not pull hair, must not poke in the face or must not bite. All these actions hurt. Be clear and emphatic, not angry. Let your child know these actions are not acceptable without giving him the feeling that you are rejecting him. Be calm in dealing with what is considered normal toddler behavior; overreaction on your part is detrimental. When two toddlers get together, don't leave them alone for too long and assume silence implies they should not be disturbed; they may be absorbed in some unwanted activity.