Imitation: The Role Of Imagination In Childhood

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” (C.S. Lewis)

Imitation and imagination offer essential learning experiences in our childhood; they shape how we view the world and influence our interactions throughout adulthood.

These two elements work together; they build our characters and realities at a young age. Through imitation we are given a set of tools that later allows us to generate our imagination. The difference between childhood and adulthood lies in the various instances and methods of how we employ imagination and imitation.

Imitation plays an integral part in growing up. Psychologists claim that we learn through imitation; children use this practice as a form of social learning – a way in which they are able to acquire language skills and cognitive abilities that help them understand behavior and in return, shape their interactions with others. This element of imitation is inherent; it provides us with a framework that we still use even in adulthood. The observed exchanges we gather from the environment around us become fixed procedures that we follow when we are older; for example; saying ‘please and thank you’, answering the phone with ‘hello’ and referring to our parents as ‘mum and dad’. These simple examples support how attentive children are to their surroundings; yet unlike

Children often role-play as teachers, parents and doctors; this requires them to imitate these roles and in return strengthens their understanding, however imagination offers children the opportunity to add to these set professions. This type of role-play is also evident in adults however in another form; adult often role-play important conversations or arguments, by doing so they also benefit from the same advantage; maybe understanding another person’s point of view in an argument, coming up with possible points to discuss and imagining the best and worst case