Video Transcript
Narrator: In the Cognitive Development domain, the strand Imitation and Symbolic Thinking includes the foundation Imitation. Children from 23 through 36 months imitate multi-step gestures, language, and actions they have observed at an earlier time or in a different context.
Example 1
Text on screen: Imitates multiple-step gestures and actions observed earlier in a different context
On screen: Two children play with food and other cooking toys in a miniature play kitchen. An oval highlight briefly appears on 27-month-old Vera. Vera sets a toy cupcake on the counter, balances a toy birthday candle on the cupcake, and then sings to herself.
Vera: (singing) Happy birthday to you, happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you.
On screen: Vera leans down and blows on the toy candle.
Example 2
Text on screen: Imitates multiple-step gestures and actions observed earlier in a different context
On screen: 33-month-old Abigail and her caregiver sit in an outdoor play area. Abigail holds the handset of a toy phone to her ear and speaks into the mouthpiece. Her caregiver responds in Spanish and English to what Abigail says.
Abigail: What?
Caregiver 1: Hello?
Abigail: (inaudible)
On screen: Abigail places the handset in its cradle. Together, Abigail and the caregiver push buttons on the phone.
Caregiver 1: (Spanish) What are you going to say? Are you going to talk to the train station? Call the train. Who are you going to call, Abby?
Abigail: (inaudible)
On screen: The handset rattles as the phone rings. Abigail picks up the handset and holds it to her ear.
Caregiver 1: Hello, Police. (Spanish) What happened?
Example 3
Text on screen: Imitates multiple-step gestures and actions observed earlier in a different context
On screen: Two children play inside with a caregiver nearby. 35-month-old Ximena cradles a dog stuffie in her arms and kisses it.
Later, the stuffie is on the floor. Ximena picks up a toy bottle from a table, kneels, and holds the bottle to the stuffie’s mouth.
Ximena stands up and pretends to squirt liquid from the bottle into two toy cups on the table. She picks up one cup with a toy spoon in it and kneels again. She stirs the imaginary contents of the cup. Then she holds the spoon up to her lips and blows on it.
Ximena holds out the spoon to show her caregiver who responds from offscreen.
Ximena: Um, this is hot for my baby. I need to blow it.
Caregiver 2: Oh, OK. Yeah. Blow it.
On screen: Ximena blows on the spoon again then holds the spoon to the stuffie’s mouth. She dips the spoon back into the cup, raises it to her lips to blow on it, and feeds the stuffie again.