Infant Toddler Learning & Development Foundations
Infant Toddler Learning & Development Foundations
Infant Toddler Learning & Development Foundations
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8 months<br />
At around 8 months of age,<br />
children imitate simple actions<br />
and expressions of others during<br />
interactions.<br />
For example, the child may:<br />
Foundation: Imitation<br />
The developing ability to mirror, repeat, and practice<br />
the actions of others, either immediately or later<br />
• Copy the infant care teacher’s<br />
movements when playing pat-acake<br />
and peek-a-boo. (Coplan<br />
1993, 3)<br />
• Imitate a familiar gesture, such<br />
as clapping hands together or<br />
patting a doll’s back, after seeing<br />
the infant care teacher do it.<br />
(7–8 mos.; Parks 2004)<br />
• Notice how the infant care<br />
teacher makes a toy work and<br />
then push the same button to<br />
make it happen again. (6–9<br />
mos.; Lerner and Ciervo 2003)<br />
Chart continues on next page.<br />
18 months<br />
At around 18 months of age,<br />
children imitate others’ actions<br />
that have more than one step and<br />
imitate simple actions that they<br />
have observed others doing at an<br />
earlier time. (Parks 2004; 28)<br />
For example, the child may:<br />
• Imitate simple actions that she<br />
has observed adults doing;<br />
for example, take a toy phone<br />
out of a purse and say hello as<br />
a parent does. (12–18 mos.;<br />
Lerner and Ciervo 2003)<br />
• Pretend to sweep with a childsized<br />
broom, just as a family<br />
member does at home. (15–18<br />
mos.; Parks 2004, 27)<br />
• Rock the baby doll to sleep,<br />
just as a parent does with the<br />
new baby. (15–18 mos.; Parks<br />
2004, 27)<br />
• Imitate using the toy hammer<br />
as a parent did. (18 mos.;<br />
Meisels and others 2003, 38)<br />
36 months<br />
At around 36 months of age,<br />
children reenact multiple steps of<br />
others’ actions that they have observed<br />
at an earlier time. (30–36<br />
mos.; Parks 2004, 29)<br />
For example, the child may:<br />
• Reenact the steps of a family<br />
celebration that the child<br />
attended last weekend. (29–36<br />
mos.; Hart and Risley 1999,<br />
118–19)<br />
• Pretend to get ready for work<br />
or school by making breakfast,<br />
packing lunch, grabbing<br />
a purse, and communicating<br />
good-bye before heading out<br />
the door. (30–36 mos.; Parks<br />
2004, 29)<br />
71<br />
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT