Babies Are Natural Copycats

You are your baby’s first teacher. Your home is your child’s first classroom. Every waking hour, your child is learning something. And most likely, it’s something from you.

Your baby was born a copycat. You don’t have to teach your newborn to copy you, because babies are born with a natural ability to copy basic facial expressions. So when you smile, your baby might smile too. If you stick your tongue out, your baby might stick out his tongue in return.

Your baby learns by copying your behavior. Babies learn a lot by watching what you do and then trying it themselves — whether it’s positive or negative. So watch what you do. Do you yell when you’re stuck in traffic? Do you blame others when you get frustrated with yourself? Whatever you do, your baby is probably learning something from you, her most important teacher.

Your baby may remember what she copies. By age one, babies can remember and imitate actions they observed a month ago. They learn what mommies and daddies can do by watching what you do.