Initiating interactions in the toddler peer group: Embodied conversation starters

Abstract

Two-year old children often express their understanding and intentions through embodied interactions as they co-produce social relationships. This article presents findings from an ethnomethodological study using conversation analysis to explore turn-taking in toddlers’ interactions in a preschool in Iceland. Here, we focus on how toddlers initiate interaction through touch and gaze. These findings demonstrate that toddlers are adept at reading social cues from their peers and are competent at turn-taking and repair in embodied interactions resulting in significant exchanges in the peer group. As such, this article contributes to a growing body of research that demonstrates toddler’s competencies in organizing their own social worlds through embodied strategies that co-construct peer relationships in competent ways.