How to guide children’s imitation period

American psychologist Doula proposed that imitation is an important way for children to first understand the world and accumulate knowledge, and it is also an important way to influence human beings. Educator Maria Montessori mentioned in her highly respected \”Montessori Education\” that the age of 0 to 3 is the sensitive period for imitation, and the age of 3 is the peak of imitation ability! My colleague Zhao’s 3-year-old daughter Yueyue always brings us joy every time she comes to the company to play. For example, two days ago, she came to the company to play again, and another colleague, Brother Zhang, poured water for her. Unexpectedly, after getting the water, the child said sweetly: \”Thank you, husband, I love you!\” \”You kid, you have to say thank you, uncle,\” Sister Zhao quickly corrected her daughter. But after listening to her mother\’s words, Yueyue said in confusion: \”But at home, daddy pours you water, isn\’t that what you said?\” All of a sudden, everyone was amused by such innocent \”childish talk\” , also ridiculed Sister Zhao, \”So she is so loving at home\”, \”I can\’t keep the secret now\”, etc. Because of this topic, Sister Zhao had no choice but to complain. Ever since she started going to kindergarten at the age of 3, Yueyue loves to imitate the actions and words of the adults at home. Once she and her husband had a fight over trivial matters, and she called him \”idiot\” in anger. Unexpectedly, my daughter had an argument with a child in kindergarten the next day and kept calling the other child \”idiot\”. The teacher called her directly to remind her. \”We have to be careful what we say now, and think about what\’s wrong before doing anything in front of her,\” Sister Zhao said helplessly. And he also mentioned that there is a 3-year-old boy in the neighbor\’s house. A few days ago, he secretly took the lighter and cigarettes that his father put in the living room and ran to the toilet to learn to smoke. When asked why, he actually said, \”I\’m learning from my dad,\” which shocked the whole family. Now his dad can only go downstairs to smoke. American psychologist Jerome Kagan concluded after long-term observation and research on nearly 10,000 children aged 1 to 3: “For children, imitation can allow them to gain knowledge, power or desire for goals. Self-awareness attempts.\” At the same time, we further concluded that children aged 1 to 3 years old have different enthusiasm and degree of imitation, but the main imitation objects are either their parents or close caregivers! Children of different ages have different enthusiasm and degree of imitation. Scientific research shows that newborn babies have a certain ability to imitate 4 hours after birth, such as pouting their lips or moving their tongues in their mouths like adults. Around April, he will focus on observing the changes in the mouths of people around him when he speaks, stimulating his interest in language. After 1 to 2 months, he will be able to produce monosyllables unconsciously. But the baby\’s real imitation behavior actually starts around 1 year old, because according to biological development, the child\’s self-awareness begins to awaken at that time, and imitation has a relatively clear purpose. And if we say that children between 1 and 3 years old are in the passive development stage, they are limited by their mental and physical development and can only imitate some simple movements and behaviors. Such as crying, grasping, sucking, etc., which tend to be more genetic and instinctive. However, after the age of 3, self-awareness increases and brain development reaches about 70% to 80% of adulthood. It can imitate certain behavioral abilities and social behaviors, and coordinate various limbs and organs to complete a series of tasks.imitate. CCTV recommends over 500 high-scoring documentaries. Children will become addicted to self-discipline after watching them. Why are children so eager to imitate? 1. Natural development. As Maria Montessori said: \”Every time a child grows, it begins with imitation.\” Because according to the laws of natural development, children will inevitably enter a sensitive period for imitation, which is a normal physiological behavior. However, even at the 3-year-old stage when imitating a lot of behaviors, children cannot distinguish between good and bad imitated behaviors, so parental guidance is needed to ensure that they do not learn bad behaviors. 2. Strong curiosity drives every child to become a \”curious baby\” and is an important \”tool\” to stimulate brain development. Especially when they are about 3 years old, most of them become \”one hundred thousand whys\”. After understanding the world through curiosity, they will establish their own worldview through imitation and further processing. Parents should not only protect their children\’s curiosity, but also encourage them to explore and imitate, maintain sufficient patience and care, and ensure safety and correctness of the content. 3. Get attention. The famous psychologist Alfred Adler once pointed out: \”Children often imitate various inappropriate behaviors just to attract the attention of others, and will not stop until they become the focus.\” Just like in daily life, if parents interact with others Conversation, ignoring the children next to them. Children usually attract their parents\’ attention by imitating their parents\’ conversations loudly, and they don\’t care even if they are scolded. If parents discover that their child is engaging in imitative behavior, in addition to responding in time and giving enough attention and love on a daily basis, they will give him a sense of security so that he will not engage in some sensational imitative behavior. When you grow up, you develop a pleaser personality. It is not difficult to see from the above that imitation is both a child’s nature and an inevitable process of growth. And if parents just think that this is a sign that the child has no self and intervene or stop it, it is likely to undermine the child\’s continuous formation of self-awareness and accumulation of knowledge. Or you may not pay attention to teaching by words and deeds, and \”infect\” your own bad behaviors, ideas, etc. to your children. After all, as Alfred Adler and many other psychologists and educators have proposed, the first society that children come into contact with is the family. Parents are not only their first objects of imitation, but also their first teachers. ! How should parents deal with children who are at their peak imitation stage? For children, immature minds tend to be more perceptual in their imitation behavior, and they do not know whether it is correct and reasonable to imitate the other person, let alone see the essence through the phenomenon. Therefore, parents need to encourage them to imitate while also guiding them to understand what can and cannot be imitated. At the same time, they must learn to face the object of imitation from a rational perspective and not blindly imitate. Many parents ignore their children\’s imitating behavior because of their impatience. If the child fails to gain attention through imitation over a long period of time, he will not engage in such behavior again. Or you may unintentionally choose the wrong person to imitate, which affects your character. And these are undoubtedly not conducive to children having a sound personality or good conduct. Therefore, parents should not only give timely responses, but also help their children judge whether it is correct or not, and guide him to establish correct judgment.. Parents are the first and most important imitation objects for their children, and their precepts and deeds can have a far-reaching impact on their children throughout their lives. Therefore, parents should try not to show bad behaviors, incorrect values, etc. in front of their children, and let their children learn good conduct and the correct way to deal with others through immersion. Children learn about the world, accumulate knowledge, and absorb the experiences of others through imitation, and then build their own conscious world, IQ and EQ, as well as worldview and values. Especially the peak period of imitation at the age of 3 is the golden period for cultivating various good habits and excellent conduct. Therefore, how parents guide and educate is crucial!