Children Learn By Imitating You

Mar 21

Every waking minute, young children are paying attention to the environment around them. They pay attention to how their parents and caregivers speak, eat, respond to circumstances, and interact with other people. You are your child's first and most important teacher! Infants and toddlers are remarkable pupils, recalling what their parents and caregivers do and say days and weeks afterwards. Young toddlers learn far more than you may believe through their interactions with family, friends, babysitters, and even what they see on television than you may expect. To ensure that your children are learning what you want them to learn, experts encourage you to think carefully about what you say and do in front of them, as well as be conscious of what television and media they watch.

According to studies, young toddlers watch three hours of television every day on average. To keep children engaged, caregivers often turn to television and movies, and many families report keeping the television on all day, even when the family moves on to other routines such as sleep and meal times. Do you believe your kids are gaining knowledge from their television viewing? They are, according to research! In fact, babies as young as 14 months may reproduce activities seen in films after just 20 seconds of watching. In an hour of watching, what do you believe a small toddler might learn?

Children of all ages can and will imitate what they watch on television. Researchers evaluated 120 toddlers between 14 and 24 months to discover whether they replicate what they see on television in an experiment. Half of the youngsters were shown a brief video of a stranger ripping apart a new item three times in the same way. The remaining pupils were divided into two groups. One group saw a video of the stranger playing with the toy without disassembling it, whereas the other half did not. Only 20% of the 24 month olds who did not observe the item being taken apart pulled it apart on their own. This shows that two-year-olds can copy what they watch on television. In the younger youngsters, 65 percent of those who watched a video of the toy being taken apart did so themselves, whereas just 30 percent did so on their own. According to this study, newborns as young as 14 months old would imitate what they watch on television, and toddlers as young as two years old will imitate what they see, even if it is a stranger.

It's obvious that your small children learn by imitating you! What are your options as a parent? Here are some suggestions:

Keep in mind that your kids are observing and imitating everything you do. Make sensible choices with your words and deeds. Be very cautious in what you do and say. Even when your children are babies and toddlers, set a good example for them.
Consider your house as your child's initial learning environment. What do you want people to take away from this? From the beginning, young children learn from their "teachers" or family members.
Include your kid in your day-to-day activities and see them as learning opportunities.
Television should be kept to a minimum. Keep in mind that television is instilling values in your children. What may kids subsequently watch and imitate? Consider what they're watching and, if feasible, co-view with them.

Every individual your kid encounters is instructing them in some way. Take advantage of their incredible learning skills! Infants like imitating facial expressions. In fact, kids as little as a few hours old may imitate an adult's tongue sticking out. If you smile, they will strive to return your smile. As newborns get older, they become more adept at imitating your behaviors. Holding the phone in the same way you do, combing your hair, imitating your motions, and speaking in the same tone as you.

Always keep in mind that you are your child's first teacher. Every day, our children observe and learn from us. Your youngster is learning something every waking hour. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. You can ensure that you are teaching your kid what you want them to learn by being cautious with what you say and do, and you can start setting them on the route to school and life success!