Video Transcript
Narrator: In the Cognitive Development domain, the strand Imitation and Symbolic Thinking includes the foundation Imitation. Children from 11 through 23 months imitate simple actions, sounds, or gestures they have observed others doing in the moment or at an earlier time.
Example 1
Text on screen: Imitates simple actions observed in the moment
On screen: 20-month-old Pressley and an older child sit near each other playing with wooden arches lined up like a road.
Child 1: Now I’m ready to go get a car.
On screen: The older child goes to a bin of cars, takes one out, and begins to push it along their road. Pressley watches him.
Caregiver 1: Yup.
On screen: Pressley walks over to get a toy car, too.
Caregiver 1: You got a car, too, Pressley?
On screen: Pressley makes motor sounds and moves her car along the wooden road in the same way as the older child.
Caregiver 1: There you go.
Child 1: Who put this little thing over here?
Example 2
Text on screen: Imitates simple actions observed in the moment
On screen: 20-month-old Felix is with a caregiver outside. Felix stands at a table piled with blocks while the caregiver sits on the ground, holding another child in her lap. Felix picks up two wooden blocks with translucent windows. One block has a blue window, the other has a yellow window. He hands the blue block to the caregiver.
Caregiver 2: (in Cantonese) Give me? Wow, big brother is giving me the blue one!
On screen: The caregiver holds the blue block up to her eye, looking at Felix through it. Felix does the same thing with the yellow block.
Caregiver 2: (in Mandarin) Blue, right? This one is blue. And you take a look.
On screen: The caregiver holds the blue block up to the eyes of the child in her lap. Felix moves closer, laughing. The caregiver and Felix continue to look through their blocks.
Caregiver 2: Hmm, hmm, see. Hmm, I can see it now. Yours is yellow, mine is blue. Yours is a rectangle, mine is a square. Can you see it?
On screen: Felix holds the yellow block to his eyes and removes it. He repeats this action a few times.
Caregiver 2: Let me see, let me see. You take a look. You take a look. Right?
On screen: The caregiver holds the blue block up to Felix’s eye. He looks through it and then holds up the yellow block to look through again.
Caregiver 2: Blue and yellow can change into another color. Take a look, take a look. Give it a try. Take a look at this yellow one. Okay?
On screen: The caregiver hands Felix the blue block. He holds one block in each hand, looking at one then the other. He hands the caregiver the blue square, and they look at each other through the blocks again.
Caregiver 2: This, okay, give it to me. Hmm, it’s blue.
Example 3
Text on screen: Imitates simple actions observed at an earlier time
On screen: 23-month-old Amelia sees her caregiver holding a baby doll and pretending to feed it with a bottle.
Caregiver 3: Shh, shh, shh. Can you help me feed the baby?
On screen: When Amelia approaches, the caregiver hands Amelia the baby doll and bottle.
Caregiver 3: Here, shh, shh. Shh.
On screen: Amelia hugs the baby doll, then carefully holds it in one arm, trying to position it for a bottle.
Caregiver 3: Aw, you’re so gentle with the baby. Oh, you’re such a good mommy.
On screen: Once the doll is secured, Amelia brings the bottle to the doll’s mouth.
Caregiver 3: Oh, yes. The baby’s hungry. Perfect. Yummy! Is she drinking milk or water?
Example 4
Text on screen: Imitates simple actions observed at an earlier time
On screen: 23-month-old Natalia sits near a basket of toys. She is holding a seashell in her hands. She brings the seashell to one ear, listening. She then switches the shell back and forth between ears several times.
Caregiver 4: Ah. Do you have a seashell?
Natalia: Yes.
On screen: Natalia puts the shell down and then puts it back to her ear. She nods and responds as if she is talking on the phone.
Natalia: Yes.