What's a typical social emotional milestone for a 3-year-old?

For a 3-year-old, participating in parallel play is a typical social-emotional milestone. This type of play involves children playing in close proximity to one another, often using similar toys or engaging in similar activities, but not directly interacting or collaborating with each other in their play. At this age, children begin to develop awareness of others around them and show an interest in the activities of their peers, while still primarily focused on their own play experience.

This stage of play is crucial for developing social skills, as it sets the foundation for more complex interactions that involve collaboration and cooperation seen in later developmental stages. While some 3-year-olds may begin to engage in more interactive types of play, parallel play remains the norm for this age group, showcasing their growing social awareness and readiness to transition into cooperative play in the future.

Options involving maintaining eye contact, engaging in cooperative play, and sharing toys generally develop later as children advance in their social-emotional skills. Maintaining eye contact is more of a foundational communication skill, while sharing and cooperative play skills evolve as children approach the preschool years and begin to fully understand social rules and the importance of collaboration.