Teaching Toddlers To Imitate In Play
Imitation is the main way that children learn to speak, which makes it an absolutely crucial skill for your child to master.
Imitating speech is very challenging — it involves rapid, coordinated, and complex movements of all the parts of your mouth. That’s why we’ll look to help your child imitate actions first. Find an action that captures your child’s attention, and try to get them to copy you. It could be throwing a stuffed animal at the wall or banging a spoon on a kitchen pot. The ‘what’ doesn’t matter, as long as it is safe. Be as creative and silly as you’d like! In fact, the sillier you are, the more likely your child will imitate you!
This post will give you tips and activities to guide you in your at home imitation practice with your toddler.
Tips for teaching toddlers to imitate in play
Tip 1 - Get your child’s attention
First, you need to get your child’s attention. Your child cannot copy something that you do unless they watch you do it. When your child looks at you, you know that they are thinking about you and what you are doing. Start by positioning yourself in front of your child — this makes it much easier for them to pay attention to you. It’s also a good idea to eliminate as many background distractions as possible. Get rid of ambient noise by turning off the TV or music. If your child is very active, it may help to practice imitation during activities when your child is naturally contained, like when they’re in a confined seat or during bath time. Choose an activity that typically makes your child happy; it will be much harder for your child to learn if they are upset. Creating an environment in which it is easy for your child to pay attention to you is instrumental in helping them learn to imitate.
Tip 2 - Get your child to copy something that you do
Now it’s time to have your child copy your actions. The specific action you choose is not important — it is only important that your child copies something that you have done. First, engage in an activity that you know your child enjoys. Then, do something new in the context of that activity.
For example, if your child likes banging spoons on pots, try sliding a spoon along the top of the pot, and see if they will imitate you. If you’re playing with toys, you could try a new action, like making the toy jump up high or go down a slide or ramp. You may have to show your child this new action several times before they try to imitate you. And remember to give plenty of wait time — repetition and patience are key here.
Tip 3 - Think outside the box
If you are having a hard time encouraging your child to imitate your actions, keep trying new activities, and don’t be afraid to get silly! Nothing is off limits (as long as it is safe). Try to think outside the box to come up with something that will really grab your child’s attention. You could place a block on your head, then move your head so it falls off. Use your hands to cover your face, or stomp your feet on the ground. If you need more ideas, visit the written tutorial for a longer list.
Try one of the following activities (or any other you can imagine up):
place a block on your head and moving your head so it falls off
spin the wheels on a toy car
hop up and down
bang on the floor with your hands
use your hands to cover your face
push something off a chair or table onto the floor
shake your head
push a button to play music
activate a toy
kick your feet on the ground
hide a toy under a washcloth
push a toy car so that it bangs or bounces off something hard like a wall or table leg
Teaching toddlers imitation in play - 3 at home speech therapy activities ↓
Activity to teach imitation in play for toddlers
Sneeze game
Materials:
2-3 small toy pieces. This can be a block, an animal toy, even a pacifier.
Set-up:
You and your child will be on the floor, ideally sitting across from each other. Put the small toy pieces where only you can reach them (behind you or in your lap)
What to do:
While sitting next to your child, put an item on your head and balance it for a few seconds. Then while the item is still up there, pretend to sneeze ah-ah-ah CHOO, and at that moment drop the item off your head (as if you sneezed it off). Have your child's attention? Do it again, and again, and again. Keep your energy high and be silly.
After you’ve done it a few times, give your child the item and see if they put it on your head for a few more times. After a few more times, put the block on their head (or encourage them to put it on their own head). Oftentimes, they'll "sneeze" it off of their own head, imitating the silly action they learned from you.. They may even try to make the sounds of "ah choo" . They may also look at you expectedly to make the sounds for them, go ahead and make those sneeze sounds with the block on their head.
What to say:
Be sure to really act out these sneezes. Many children respond to big physical movements showing your silliness as you say these “Ah….. Ah…. Ah… CHOO!” sounds.
You can also add in other simple phrases during the game such as
“Oh no, I sneezed the block” or
“Oh no, it feel down”
But the primary focus of this activity is on the sneeze action as the item falls, and on the “ah choo” sound.
If your child starts to love this game, be sure to tell other caregivers about it, so if your child puts a toy on their head tomorrow, Grandma will know how to play the Sneeze game with him 😀
Teaching toddlers imitation in play - 3 at home speech therapy activities (this activity + 2 more) ↓
You May Also Like These At Home Speech Therapy Tips And Activities:
Created In Collaboration By:
Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP
Stephanie Burgener-Vader, MA CCC-SLP
Melissa Sartori, MS CCC-SLP
Yvette Faire-Bostick, MS CCC-SLP
© 2020-2022. Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP. All Rights Reserved.
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