What development milestone should children achieve by age 2 regarding social behavior?

By age 2, children typically engage in parallel play, which is a common social behavior for toddlers at this developmental stage. During parallel play, children play alongside their peers but do not directly interact with each other in a cooperative manner. They often use similar toys or engage in similar activities, demonstrating an understanding of shared space and playfulness without the need for direct interaction or cooperation that characterizes later developmental stages. This milestone reflects their growing social awareness and the beginning of social interactions, setting the stage for more complex forms of play in the coming years.

While participation in group games and interaction with others is more characteristic of slightly older children, typically around the ages of 3 to 4 years, where co-operative play becomes more apparent, it is important to recognize that at age 2, children are generally still in the phase of parallel play. Showing hesitation towards unfamiliar adults is also a behavior seen in toddlers, as they may develop a sense of stranger anxiety, which is common but not considered a developmental milestone related to social play.