Through play, the child slowly identifies who he is and understands who he looks like. Your little one will gradually put himself in the other’s shoes, knowing full well that he is not the other. Around the age of 3, he is looking for his identity and realizes that he can have his own initiatives. It is therefore important for parents not to guide their children in their games, to let them imitate what they want. Try to give your child a play environment that is not too poor, without increasing the number of objects.
On the other hand, do not hesitate to play with him, to accompany him by introducing some new sounds that he can take up and adopt! Just be sure to be indulgent, to let it experiment. The goal is not to intervene constantly, at the risk of discouraging him in his initiatives. An over-stimulated child may be pushed into excitement or cut off their relationship with you. Indeed, seeing that you take up all the space, he will no longer dare to reproduce situations, by experimenting a little. If he takes a shoe, brings it to his ear and says “allo”, don’t take his hands off him and explain that this is not the right thing to do! An adult can very quickly be “disorganizing” for a child. A toddler will be particularly inclined to imitate those he admires or loves. That’s why your kid will start reading books, like Mom or want to feed your little fish, like Dad.
Mom and Dad as role models
Do not forget that you are his main reference and that you play a primary role in shaping his personality. The culmination of this process of imitation will lead him, towards his third birthday, to become aware of himself. At that point, he will therefore go from “Charles wants a spoon” to “I want a spoon”, because he will have assimilated that Charles is him. Thanks to the game, it therefore becomes more present, it is built up, and gradually feels itself to exist in appropriating his “me”. Does the imitation stop at this point? Nay! The influence of what he observed as a young child can be re-enacted throughout his life, unconsciously or not! Ask yourself about your own habits …
Imitation: parents testify Like my big sister “My second daughter has just turned 2. For some time now, she has imitated her big sister without always succeeding, but for a month it has been systematic. The “no’s” of the big one find an immediate echo: they take turns saying no and are very amused by the situation. Yesterday again, the eldest had the absurd idea of eating her yogurt with the handle of her spoon. We told him to stop. Too late, the little one was already doing the same thing! And we, parents, hesitate between laughing and arguing… ” Frédéric – By Internet
Imitations of all kinds “My 2-year-old daughter Callie watches the series on M6“ Household Scenes ”with us. She imitates the couple José and Liliane wonderfully. She retorts: “Stop José, you worry me” or “Crotte José” all day long! She also imitates advertising, cartoons (especially Dora the Explorer and her sidekick Babouche)… Callie loves to walk with my shoes on to look like a lady, imitates me in the morning when I put on makeup, and also wants to put on “red” . ” Jennylie – Pagney-behind-Barine (54) |