At what age do children normally start to make friends?

At what age do children normally start to make friends?

Eileen Hayes (Editor in Chief - Your Family magazine) gives expert video advice on: At what age do children normally start to make friends?; Why are friends important for children?; How can I help my child to develop good friendships? and more...

Children play alongside other children when they are young, about two years old, but they're really three plus before they actually start to play properly with children. In a sense they can't really make friends in the accepted sense until they're old enough to do that. From three plus they do form friendships but usually they're very short lived. A child's your friend because they're playing at the sand pit next to you, and then another child's your friend because they're playing with modeling clay next to you. They are usually a little older than that, around about five, before they form slightly more lasting friendships. Again, they don't last very long. The children usually have a best friend for that week and then the next week it's a different best friend. So right through childhood the whole friendship thing is slightly changing.