How can I encourage my 22-month-old to play with toys and other kids?

FrozenWildcard

Hey, nice to be a part of this dad's forum, and I’ve got a 22-month-old. He’s just not into playing with other kids—he’d rather hang ut with adults. He’s not really into toys, but he’s super into doors, the stove, and light switches 😅. I know every kid is different, but how can I get him into other things? I’ve tried showing him stuff in books and getting him fun toys, but he loses interest fast and just wants to go outside.

Perry

FrozenWildcard 22 months is in my experience too early for some kids to play with other kids. But don't sweat it, he will change in time and start to play with other kids.

VelcroViking

My little one was just like that too. He’s now 3.5 and still doesn’t play very intensely with regular toys. He’s more into grown up things with buttons and stuff to figure out how they work like computers, phones, remotes, etc.

His little brother, who’s now 2, is only into cars and fans.

All kids have their own interests, right? 😊

FrozenGator

It's really positive that he wants to discover the world, right? Then you can walk around with him in town or in the woods, and he'll be happy exploring and discovering.

StarLord20K

That's interesting. Typically, kids start playing more actively with others around the age of 3. Before that age, it's usually parallel play. Of course, every child is different, and this can range from about 2.5 to 3.5 years.

AshyBeasto69

Let him play with what he thinks is fun as long as it's not dangerous. He'll find his interests in time, let him explore 👌.

Chilli

Our kid didn't find other kids very interesting until maybe around 26 months and thought the funniest thing ever was kitchen utensils and helping in the kitchen. Now he plays so much with his friends at preschool that it's hard to get him home.

MeoW

It comes with time.

Darkcipher

That sounds like a smart kid. Kids want to learn how to do what adults do and want to help out. Adults use doors, stoves, and light switches, so it makes sense that your child would want to learn how to use those things too.

Seeing a 22 month old play next to other kids instead of with them doesn’t strike me as unusual at all.