Imitation games: developing children's imagination

Your child imitates you on a daily basis: do you wonder why he does it, and which imitation toys might be right for him? Discover our tips for choosing the right toys for children aged 3 to 7, based on the skills they need to develop and, above all... Their tastes and favorite activities!

The benefits of imitation games for children

Imitation games (also known as "symbolic games" or "pretend games") play an essential role in children's development. Through these games, they reproduce everyday gestures and situations, enabling them to understand the world around them and develop important social and cognitive skills.

Imitation toys help children to develop :

language,
creativity,
social skills.
problem-solving skills,
their self-confidence, helping them to feel competent in their activities.

Our tip: To enrich your child's imitative play experience, you can combine different types of toys. For example, encourage your child to prepare an imaginary meal with his dinette, then serve the dishes to your family or his dolls, and play a piece of music with his musical toys while the guests enjoy themselves. This approach stimulates his creativity and lets him explore different roles at the same time.

Why does my child imitate me?

Imitation is a natural way for children to learn and grow. From their earliest months, children begin to imitate the gestures and facial expressions of adults.

This behavior reaches maturity around the age of one, when they begin to reproduce actions they see around them. Between 19 and 24 months, imitation becomes more frequent and sophisticated: children imitate not only their parents, but also their peers. From ages 3 to 6, children more consciously reproduce gestures shown by adults.

What is an imitation game?

Imitative play is a type of play in which children reproduce the actions, roles and behaviors of adults or everyday situations they observe around them. These games are crucial to children's cognitive and emotional development, enabling them to explore and understand the world around them in a playful way.

How do I use symbolic games with my child?

What imitation games should your child play?

You can offer your child a variety of imitation games to stimulate imagination and develop skills, from infancy to around age 7. Here are 3 examples:

Kitchen games, dinettes and merchants

Children immerse themselves in culinary activities by reproducing the gestures they see in everyday life. They develop their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and stimulate their imagination.

Choosing a kitchen or dinette

Musical toys, wooden musical instruments JANOD

Musical instrument toys

Playing with musical toys helps children develop their sense of rhythm, coordination and creativity. They also encourage emotional expression and language development.

Choosing a musical toy

DIY tools and toys

Workbenches, tools and building sets enable children to explore the world of manual work and "do-it-yourself". They develop dexterity, precision, imagination and problem-solving skills.

Choosing a craft set

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