PLAY GOES HAND IN HAND WITH IMITATION

I DO WHAT YOU DO
For children, games are not simply a source of fun - they are also fundamental in enabling them to get to know themselves and their surrounding environment, from early explorations of objects to a conscious knowledge of reality. Accordingly, constructing a sense of reality relies in part on the process of imitation.

A GOOD EXAMPLE SET BY ADULTS
During the second year of life, children begin to mimic the situations that they encounter on a daily basis; they begin to interpret the family environment in an imaginative way and love to imitate adult activities, choosing games that simulate the world of grown-ups. Mummy in the kitchen preparing dinner, the mechanic who repairs daddy's car, the carpenter who restores granny and granddad's furniture - they all become irresistible examples for imitation. These are all great stimuli for the cognitive development of the child, and help little ones to construct an image of themselves and a sense of their own identity.

TOYS FOR IMITATING GROWN-UPS
Toys for children that replicate the objects used by adults are therefore ideal at this stage, and very appealing to little ones. At a period during which children have a heightened ability to grasp the sounds that make up language, it may be useful to provide them with bilingual toys that not only enable them to imitate grown-up activities, but also help to familiarise them with the first words of a foreign language in a fun and entertaining context.