{"h1":"At what age should a child use social greetings?","faq":[{"a":"Many babies wave \"bye-bye\" in imitation between 9 and 12 months, and use it with meaning by around 12 to 15 months. A little later is still within the typical range.","q":"When do babies start waving bye-bye?"},{"a":"Many 2-year-olds greet only with reminders or feel shy with strangers, which is normal. If your child also rarely responds to their name or shares few smiles, a gentle developmental check is sensible.","q":"My 2-year-old won't greet people — is that a problem?"},{"a":"Model greetings warmly yourself, keep them playful, and praise any attempt. Peek-a-boo, songs with waving, and greeting toys all build the joyful back-and-forth behind real greetings.","q":"How can I encourage my child to greet people?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"at-what-age-should-a-child-social-greeting","title":"At what age should a child use social greetings?","entity":{"key":"social-greeting","kind":"skill","name":"social greeting","slug":"social-greeting"},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent / Family","value":"parent"},{"kind":"age","label":"Child","value":"child"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Social","value":"social"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Milestone","value":"milestone"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"route","label":"Book-Assessment","value":"book-assessment"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Early Clarity","value":"early_clarity"},{"kind":"language","label":"English","value":"en"},{"kind":"sdg","label":"SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being","value":"3"},{"kind":"skill","label":"social greeting","value":"social-greeting"},{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"ASHA / PHC / Frontline","value":"asha_phc"},{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Therapist / Clinician","value":"therapist"}],"parent":{"key":"skills","label":"Skills"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"is-it-normal-that-my-child-is-not-yet-showing-social-greeting","title":"Is It Normal My Child Isn't Yet Showing Social Greeting?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"when-do-children-usually-social-greeting","title":"When do children usually start social greeting?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"as-a-caregiver-what-should-i-do-if-a-child-in-my-care-is-not-yet-showing-social-greeting","title":"Caregiver Guide: When a Child Isn't Greeting Yet"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-signs-suggest-my-child-may-need-support-with-social-greeting","title":"What signs suggest my child may need support with social greeting?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"by-what-age-is-a-child-usually-expected-to-social-greeting-and-what-should-a-teacher-expect-in-class","title":"Social greeting milestone — age expectations for teachers"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-social-greeting-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Work on Social Greeting at Home"}],"summary":"Children typically begin simple social greetings — waving, smiling back, saying \"hi\" — between 9 and 15 months, and greet familiar people warmly by 2 to 3 years. Some variation is normal; steady progress in connecting with people matters most.","answer_md":"*The first wave, the first \"hi\" — a social greeting is one of the warmest signs that your child is reaching out to their world.*\n\n## In short\nMost children begin to share simple social greetings — waving \"bye-bye\", returning a smile, or saying \"hi\" — between **9 and 15 months**, and by **2 to 3 years** they greet familiar people warmly and on cue. Every child grows at their own pace, so a little earlier or later is usually perfectly typical. What matters is steady, joyful progress in connecting with people.\n\n## How social greeting unfolds\nA [social greeting](/social-greeting) is an early building block of social communication (ICF chapter d7, interpersonal interactions). It blends *attention to people*, *imitation*, and *intent to connect*. A simple roadmap:\n\n- **9–12 months** — waves in imitation, enjoys peek-a-boo, brightens at a familiar face\n- **12–18 months** — waves \"bye\" with meaning, may say \"hi\"\n- **2 years** — greets familiar adults with a word or gesture, with reminders\n- **3 years** — initiates simple greetings more independently and warmly\n\n## The science\nGreetings emerge from joint attention and social motivation — the same shared back-and-forth that underpins later conversation. They are best learned through everyday warmth, not drilling: babies copy the people who light up for them.\n\n## When to check in\nIf, by around 18 months, your child rarely responds to their name, shares few smiles, or uses little gesture or eye contact, a gentle developmental check is worthwhile — not a cause for alarm, just a sensible next step.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nA clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under qualified clinician care — never from an online read. Explore [speech therapy](/speech-therapy) and [what the AbilityScore® is](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) to understand how we build a warm, objective picture of your child.\n\n## Trusted sources\nAligned with CDC developmental milestones, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and WHO ICF framing of interpersonal interactions.\n\n**Next step —** if you'd like reassurance, book a developmental screen with Pinnacle Blooms Network on WhatsApp: +91 91001 81181.\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/at-what-age-should-a-child-social-greeting","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/at-what-age-should-a-child-social-greeting","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"skills","label":"Skills"}],"meta_title":"Social Greeting: What Age Do Children Start?","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Model greetings yourself with delight — wave and say \"hi\" and \"bye-bye\" warmly at doorways, video calls and visitors, then pause and give your child a moment to copy you.","published_at":"2026-06-10T14:10:00.215102+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"signs","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"when-do-children-usually-social-greeting","title":"When do children usually start social greeting?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"as-a-caregiver-what-should-i-do-if-a-child-in-my-care-is-not-yet-showing-social-greeting","title":"Caregiver Guide: When a Child Isn't Greeting Yet","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"by-what-age-is-a-child-usually-expected-to-social-greeting-and-what-should-a-teacher-expect-in-class","title":"Social greeting milestone — age expectations for teachers","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-it-normal-that-my-child-is-not-yet-showing-social-greeting","title":"Is It Normal My Child Isn't Yet Showing Social Greeting?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-signs-suggest-my-child-may-need-support-with-social-greeting","title":"What signs suggest my child may need support with social greeting?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"could-difficulty-with-social-greeting-be-a-sign-of-a-developmental-delay","title":"Could difficulty with social greeting be a sign of a developmental delay?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-does-it-mean-if-my-child-is-not-yet-showing-social-greeting","title":"What does it mean if my child is not yet showing social greeting?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"during-a-home-visit-what-should-a-frontline-worker-observe-about-a-child-learning-to-social-greeting","title":"Social Greeting: What to Observe on a Home Visit","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"if-a-child-cannot-social-greeting-at-the-expected-age-when-should-a-frontline-health-worker-escalate","title":"When to escalate a social greeting delay","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-difficulty-learning-to-social-greeting-a-clinical-red-flag-that-warrants-a-developmental-referral","title":"Is difficulty with social greeting a developmental red flag?","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Recognise signs & concerns","total":10},{"key":"assess","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"my-child-is-in-the-amber-zone-for-social-greeting-what-does-that-mean","title":"Amber Zone for Social Greeting: What It Means","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"my-child-is-in-the-green-zone-for-social-greeting-what-does-that-mean","title":"Green Zone for Social Greeting Explained","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"my-child-is-in-the-red-zone-for-social-greeting-what-does-that-mean","title":"Red Zone for Social Greeting — What It Means","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-a-clinician-assess-and-track-a-child-s-progress-in-learning-to-social-greeting","title":"How a clinician assesses and tracks social greeting","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Understand assessment","total":4},{"key":"therapy","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-a-teacher-support-a-child-working-on-social-greeting","title":"How can a teacher support a child working on social greeting?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-therapy-helps-a-child-learn-to-social-greeting","title":"What therapy helps a child learn social greeting?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"my-child-is-in-the-amber-zone-for-social-greeting-what-should-we-do-next","title":"Amber zone for social greeting — your next step","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"my-child-is-in-the-green-zone-for-social-greeting-what-should-we-do-next","title":"Green zone for social greeting: what to do next","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"my-child-is-in-the-red-zone-for-social-greeting-what-should-we-do-next","title":"Red Zone in Social Greeting — Your Next Steps","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"as-a-therapist-what-techniques-help-a-child-develop-the-ability-to-social-greeting","title":"Techniques to develop social greeting","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-a-teacher-support-a-student-who-is-still-learning-to-social-greeting","title":"How can a teacher support a student who is still learning to social greeting?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-should-a-therapist-prioritise-a-child-who-is-in-the-amber-zone-for-social-greeting","title":"How should a therapist prioritise a child in the amber zone for social greeting?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-should-a-therapist-prioritise-a-child-who-is-in-the-green-zone-for-social-greeting","title":"How should a therapist prioritise a child in the green zone for social greeting?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-should-a-therapist-prioritise-a-child-who-is-in-the-red-zone-for-social-greeting","title":"How should a therapist prioritise a child in the red zone for social greeting?","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Explore therapy & support","total":10},{"key":"home","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-social-greeting-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Work on Social Greeting at Home","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-help-my-child-with-learn-to-social-greeting-at-home","title":"Helping Your Child Learn Social Greeting at Home","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-one-everyday-therapy-activity-to-help-my-child-with-social-greeting","title":"What is one Everyday Therapy activity to help my child with social greeting?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"as-a-caregiver-how-can-i-gently-help-a-child-practise-learning-to-social-greeting-during-everyday-routines","title":"Helping Your Child Practise Social Greetings at Home","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"At home & in everyday life","total":4}],"what_to_watch":"By around 18 months, watch for rarely responding to name, few shared smiles, or little gesture and eye contact — a gentle developmental check is then worthwhile.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://www.cdc.gov/child-development","label":"CDC developmental milestones"},{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org","label":"AAP HealthyChildren: social development"},{"url":"https://icd.who.int","label":"WHO ICF interpersonal interactions (d7)"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T14:10:00.215102+00:00","meta_description":"Most children begin social greetings — waving, smiling, saying hi — between 9 and 15 months. Learn the milestones and when to check in.","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}