Is it normal for a two-year-old to prefer older children?

[Loolayloolaylay]

Really need some advice on this please...
My ds is two and a half and at the playground he always wants to play with the older children which is fine, but 9 times out of 10 the older kids don't want to play with a toddler. He got really upset about it today which made me feel so sad for him. He does go to pre school 3 days a week so has plenty of interaction with other children at different ages. Basically want I am asking is, is it normal for a child his age to follow older children around wanting to play? I know I am probably being an overbearing mother I just don't like him feeling sad when they don't let him join in. Thank you for reading x

My DGS is like this. He’s 3 now but has been like this for as long as he’s been walking. I can only assume it’s because their games look more “exciting”? Mostly they let him join in but otherwise I just redirect him. He’s had some early life lessons that you can’t make people want to play with you but no major issues. I think it’s been great for his language skills!

Yes, two year olds don't typically understand how to play with other children their own age, so it's normal for them to gravitate towards adults or older children as they will sort of "lead" the play.

With toddlers their own age it's normal for them to do parallel play where they play separately next to each other. By about 3 they should be moving into more social play with their peers.

But it's also normal that the older children won't always want to entertain him all the time. I would try to discourage him from following them around, let him ask once every so often (and encourage him using any language he can to do this) but then if they say no, or after they have had enough, tell him to leave them alone and engage him in something either on his own or with you instead. It's OK if he is sad about it, experiencing feelings and then learning that they will come through the feeling and be OK again afterwards is how they learn how to manage their emotions.

My nearly 4 year old still prefers older children - although to be honest she prefers adults over children of any age 😵‍💫 I sometimes wonder if it’s because she’s an only child and doesn’t have any cousins either - but she does go to nursery so who knows!

My nearly 5 yr old prefers older people. Has done since he's been about 2. He is also an only and no cousins nearby his age. He does go to nursery 3x a week. He spends lots of time at nursery with his teachers. Tbh he's ready for school and won't take part in nursery rhymes as he's said he's "too big" for that now🤣🙈. He has no tolerance for the younger ones in the class as they are "crying all the time".

Thank you so much for the responses. You have put my mind at rest. ❤️