I have a daughter 2yr old and a step-daughter 3 yr old they are 9 monthes apart and they are as different as day and night my daughter does not go to daycare and my step-daughter does go to daycare my daughter loves to play with my step-daughter but my step-daughter dont play well with my daughter what can i do to make my step-daughter play better with my daughter
Does everyone live in the same house? If not how often/long is SD with you?
Does she have other siblings at moms?
Remember this is not just super easy for her either. What do you mean by "don't play well"? Does she hit, bite, push, shove? or is that she'd rather play alone?
All of these things can play a huge role in the reason why. First you have to find out the reason and then you can find a solution.
How old are they? You said they are nine months apart. It sounds like they do not live together all the time, so I wouldn't worry about it. Let them get closer as they grow.
It'll take a while for them to form a bond, but typically kids this age don't do a whole lot of "playing together", more like parallel play. Also, going to daycare, she is with kids all day long and may just need a break. One thing you could do is organize a fun activity for you all to do together...sit on the floor and color, play an age-appropriate game where they're laughing and playing (such as elefun or something). Don't try to force the relationship. It will end up causing more stress and resentment and you don't want that. Give it time.
I agree with Patricia if they are that young 9 months makes a big difference in where they are. And you said your step daughter goes to daycare so she plays with other kids regularly where yours daughter does not. So when they are together it's probably more specail to your daughter.
They'll develop a relationship as time goes on.
I remember when my GD who was 2 lived with me and then a girlfriend and her 18 mo. old daughter came to stay for a while. Those girls were like two little wrestlers squaring off with each other. They NEVER got along; could not play with each other at all. Every time you turned around, one had the other cornered and was getting ready to pounce! It really was extremely funny to watch!
We didn't push a relationship between the two; just kept them from hurting each other. Both moved out about the same time and 3 years later, they are great little friends!
They'll work it out if you let them.
How old are they? From previous posts, it looks like they are not even 2 yet, so they won't really play with each other. 9 months is a big difference at this age. I think you can only encourage them to be nice to each other, but you can't force a relationship.
