Nursery World - Modelling: Look and learn

<P> Children's natural tendency to imitate can be a helpful tool for learning, but it also means that their carers need to act as good role models, explains Penny Tassoni </P>

Children's natural tendency to imitate can be a helpful tool for learning, but it also means that their carers need to act as good role models, explains Penny Tassoni

Do you remember trying, as a child, to copy the actions of an older child or adult? Maybe you sat next to a classmate who had very small handwriting and tried to make yours smaller. Maybe as a toddler you looked at an adult vigorously stirring cake mixture, their face tensed with effort, and later you did the same when you were offered a turn. One thing is certain - consciously or unconsciously, a great deal of learning in childhood occurs through watching and imitating others.

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