A child’s ability to help themselves, control their emotions and interact with others falls under the social and emotional development area. As part of these skills they learn to take turns, recognize their own emotions and those of others, learn to play with others, help and cooperate with others.
As an infant they go from smiling to waving bye to using sounds and facial expressions to communicate their feelings.
Little ones don’t show much interest in other children till they are about two to three years old. Prior to this, they may actually be jealous of other children or appear to prefer the company of adults.
Once they start playing simple games with other toddlers, they will benefit from having a daily routine. This is a time of considerable change and the more routine their days are the better. This is a stressful time full of strong emotions that they are struggling to learn how to express.