DS only plays solitary he is 3.5yrs

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Should I be worried that my son plays on his own mostly at nursery?

He is 3.5years and doesn't play with other children.

He is shy/sensitive type. Hoping he gains more confidence as time goes on x

Children are all different as are adults. Some are sociable and love to interact with others and some are quiet and like to enjoy solitary play. Neither are wrong or problematic. Just let him enjoy whatever play he is engaged in. No point trying to force friendships and social play on him if he just isn't interested.

My DS was the same. It wasn't until he started school that he started to come out of his shell and make friends. He's still, as an adult, very introverted but he has no problems with being social when he needs to be. He's just very comfortable in his own company, and it sounds like your DS is the same.

Normal
Playing alongside, not with
Age appropriate

Thank you for your replies xx

Totally normal OP. Try not to overthink it - I was the same and really worried every time I saw my son playing by himself at nursery. I wish I could go back in time and tell my worried self to stop overthinking it.
With time my DS has come out of his shell and become more sociable.

I suppose it's just not nice to see a bunch of kids his age playing and interacting and he is predominantly on his own or sat next to a teacher.. :/ he has only started though so I suppose it's normal xx

They aren’t really playing together though.

They may be gathered in the same area/around the same activity, but there’s no collaborative play at that age, they haven’t developed that skill yet.

He has also spent a lot of his life in lockdown with toddler groups and softplay being closed, he's not had the chance to play or interact with other children his age. Once he is settled in more he will probably start to come out of his shell.

Does he play alongside others?? Look up parallel play, this is totally normal at your son's age.
If you're still concerned, have a chat with his key worker or one of the nursery workers in his room....

Yes I do think lockdown has had a lot to do with it, being home for pretty much a whole year with little interaction with other children..

He does seem a bit stressed at nursery at the moment..

He keeps asking for his dummy too.. he hasn't had one for about 8months..

Poor thing big transition for him

Currently reading the Highly Sensitive child book as this plays a big part I think x