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Learning through Experiment and Imitation
As the one year brink approaches, baby becomes more independent and her abilities more defined and complex. By exploring, moving independently and imitating actions she sees, baby is establishing her future independent, creative self.
More Experimenting
In her desire to understand the world around her, your baby conducts endless “experiments.” She collects information and analyzes results. For example, she flings a ball and watches as it rolls away from her. Then she tosses a triangular block and sees how it jumps but doesn’t roll.
On the Move
The fact that baby can now crawl enables her to satisfy her curiosity about objects and places that are not in her immediate surroundings. Better control over her body and ability to move freely give her enormous pleasure and a feeling of satisfaction. These feelings stimulate even further curiosity and desire to explore, discover and understand. The quicker she becomes the more fond you might become of the days she used to stay put 🙂 But this is her path to more independence.
Your Little Monkey or The Power of Imitation
At this stage, your baby is able to imitate new, more complex actions. She claps her hands like grandma, “cleans” the table like her mom, and imitates sounds and voices. With time, this imitation will become part of the repertoire of skills and abilities that she will execute independently. In this sense, imitation is the step that prepares your baby for future initiatives and creativity.
- Explores objects of different shapes and applies different action, like shaking, banging, throwing, etc.
- Grasps small objects with his thumb and forefinger (pincer grasp).
- Imitates movements.
- Uses objects correctly: knows how to drink from a cup, use a comb, dial the telephone, and so forth.
- Waves “bye-bye” with his hands and enjoys cuckoo games.
- Remember: there is no such thing as the “right” answer. When your child plays with a toy, even if it is not in the expected manner, he is showing originality and creativity from his inner world. Encourage him in this, and do not inhibit him by showing him the “right” way.
- If you see that your child has reached an impasse in a game and repeats the same action again and again, show and guide him toward other possibilities.
- Enable your child to play games with different materials, such as multi-sized containers or boxes, made from different materials, such as plastic, carton or foam or polystyrene.
- Encourage his experiments and express pleasure and interest in them.
