Foundation: Relationships with Peers
California Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Foundations.While the California Department of Education continues to operate the California State Preschool Program, the Early Childhood Development Act of 2020 (Senate Bill (SB) 98, Chapter 24, Statutes of 2020) authorized the transfer of many childcare programs from the California Department of Education to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) effective July 1, 2021. The content on this page may include programs that have moved to CDSS. For additional assistance you can either visit the CDSS Child Care Transition web page
or call 1-833-559-2420 for more information.
The development of relationships with certain peers through interactions over time
8 months | 18 months | 36 months |
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At around eight months of age, children show interest in familiar and unfamiliar children. (8 mos.; Meisels and others 2003, 17) |
At around 18 months of age, children prefer to interact with one or two familiar children in the group and usually engage in the same kind of back-and-forth play when interacting with those children. (12–18 mos.; Mueller and Lucas 1975) |
At around 36 months of age, children have developed friendships with a small number of children in the group and engage in more complex play with those friends than with other peers. |
For example, the child may:
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For example, the child may:
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For example, the child may:
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Behaviors leading up to the foundation (4 to 7 months) During this period, the child may:
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Behaviors leading up to the foundation (9 to 17 months) During this period, the child may:
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Behaviors leading up to the foundation (19 to 35 months) During this period, the child may:
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Next Foundation: Identity of Self in Relation to Others