A baby's love for imitation is a good thing, indicating that their mind is developing. However, the baby's ability to recognize is very low, so while imitating good behavior, they will also learn bad behavior. So how to regulate a baby's imitation behavior in daily life?
Classification of imitative behavior
1. Action imitation. Babies will perform corresponding actions based on your movements, such as imitating you when reading books or newspapers, doing household chores, etc.
2. Language imitation. The baby will imitate the same words based on what you have said, basically in the "repeating machine" mode.
3. Intellectual imitation. This kind of imitation should wait until the baby is a little older, and based on certain sources of knowledge, the content should be explained. For example, creating stories based on picture books one has read.
How to regulate a baby's imitation behavior
1. Set the right example for the baby. In daily life, babies have the most contact with poop and sesame, and the objects they imitate mainly come from their parents. Therefore, you should pay attention to your words and actions in daily life, be a good guide for your baby, and correct any bad behavior in a timely manner to avoid forming bad habits. When there is a conflict between husband and wife, try to handle it calmly and avoid the baby.
2. Purposeful guidance for imitation. At this stage, babies imitate not for the purpose of learning, but for fun, which has a great deal of blindness. Their imitation is usually based on interest, so you can seize this point and start with their interests and hobbies, making them consciously imitate and clarify their purpose of imitation. For example, if a baby likes watching cartoons, you can choose the image of the protagonist in the cartoon to imitate and guide them.
3. Teach babies to have a clear understanding of right and wrong. Due to the fact that babies are still relatively young, their emotional imitation is strong and their rational imitation is weak. They only imitate actions or behaviors without delving into the underlying causes of such behavior. This kind of imitation does not have a clear positive educational significance for the formation of their moral qualities, it is only a superficial imitation effect. So, you need to guide the baby to understand the intrinsic characteristics of the role model they are imitating, and encourage them to develop from emotional imitation to rational imitation. Only such imitation can have a fundamental educational effect, such as some willpower and character traits, which can help the baby establish correct values.
