Social interaction skills
Toddlers imitate staff and peer actions with a scarf.
Scarves—1 per toddler and staff
[Invite toddlers to join others in a large open area of your room to play the Copy Cat game.]
Today we are going to play the Copy Cat game.
Copy cat means we do what someone else does. Each of us will have a scarf to play our game.
I am going to move a scarf and say a rhyme. Please watch what I do. Then you can do the same thing with your scarf. You can copy what I do.
[Use one hand to wave your scarf up and down as you say the “Copy Cat Rhyme.” Use your other hand to pat your leg to the rhyme.]
Copy cat, copy cat
The name of the game.
When I do this,
You do the same.
You used your eyes to watch what I did with my scarf. I waved my scarf up and down.
Now you can copy what I did. You can wave your scarf up and down. You can do what I do with my scarf.
[Give each child a scarf.]
Let’s try it again! Watch what I do with my scarf. You do the same thing with your scarf.
[Recite the “Copy Cat Rhyme” as you wave your scarf up and down. Encourage toddlers to do what you are doing. Repeat several times so toddlers can practice.]
You did what I did! You copied what I did with my scarf. You watched me and moved your hand and arm to wave your scarf in the air.
Please watch me again. I am going to do something different with my scarf. You can do the same thing with your scarf.
[Move your scarf in a different direction, such as from side to side. Say the rhyme as you move your scarf. Encourage toddlers to copy what you do with your scarf.]
What would you like to do with your scarf? We can copy what you do!
[Pause for toddlers to offer or demonstrate an idea. Offer some ideas, if necessary. Examples: twirl it around above your head, alternate moving it up and down and from side to side.]
[Recognize the first several ideas offered by toddlers. Encourage toddlers, one at a time, to show what to do with the scarf. Describe what the toddler is doing with the scarf and remind toddlers to do the same. Example: “Heather is waving her scarf back and forth above her head. We can copy what Heather is doing with her scarf. Let’s watch Heather and do what Heather does with her scarf.”
Avoid leading the scarf play at this point. Offer verbal support. Say the “Copy Cat Rhyme” while toddlers follow the lead of another toddler.
There may be several toddlers’ actions with scarves that could be copied.]
Today we used scarves to play the Copy Cat game. You watched what I did and then copied what I did. You did the same thing. Then we copied what some of our friends did with their scarves! We are learning how to watch and copy what others do.
Watching and imitating others is an early step in learning how to play with others. This option provides the opportunity to practice watching and imitating you as well as peers. At this age, it is not expected that toddlers will pat their leg as you say the rhyme. The emphasis of this activity is watching and perhaps copying the actions of others.
Pay attention to and support the transition that is to occur at the midpoint of the activity, when toddlers shift from watching and imitating your actions to watching and copying a peer(s). Some toddlers may not imitate the actions of another person until they have had time to make their own movements with a scarf. Acknowledge and affirm a range of forms of participation.
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers imitate staff and peer actions in moving a scarf to music.
Invite toddlers to gather in an open area of the room to copy what someone does with a scarf. Explain that one of us can move our scarf the way we would like to move it. Others can watch how the scarf moves and copy the actions. We can move our scarf to music. We can play Musical Scarves!
Provide each toddler with a scarf. Play music and move your scarf in a simple, easy-to-follow pattern, such as up and down. Encourage toddlers to copy your actions with the scarf. Then invite toddlers to take turns moving their scarf to the music. The rest of us will copy the movements.
Close the session by reminding toddlers that we watched and copied what someone did with his/her scarf.
Toddlers enjoy moving their bodies to music, and adding scarves enhances this experience. Some toddlers may become excited about moving their bodies and need extra time to focus on the activity of watching and imitating someone else’s actions. It is important to help toddlers stay focused on copying someone else’s scarf action. Example: “Look at how Jamal is twirling his scarf to the music. Let’s all twirl our scarf the same way Jamal is twirling his scarf!” See also the first Extra Support tip below.
Encourage each toddler to think of his/her own movements for others to follow. At the same time, respond positively to a toddler’s actions that are similar to those of the prior leader. Being a leader can be challenging! Some toddlers may prefer not to offer scarf actions for others to follow.
Extra support
Enrichment
Toddlers may enjoy adding “freeze” to the musical scarf game that occurs when there is a pause in music that you provide.
Social interaction skills
Toddlers imitate staff and peer actions in moving a scarf while walking around your room.
Scarves—1 per toddler and staff
Be Prepared: Arrange for another adult to help with the activity. One of you serves as leader and the other provides verbal support.
Invite toddlers to each move a scarf as we play Follow the Leader in your room’s activity space. Encourage toddlers to follow you and watch what you do as you walk around the room. Explain that Follow the Leader means we follow someone in walking around our room and moving our scarf the way the leader moves his/her scarf. We copy the leader. We do the same as the leader. We are walking and we are moving our scarf.
Begin walking slowly with your scarf held high, and then continue walking as you hold your scarf lower. Use a simple path in your room, such as a large circle. Emphasize watching and imitating what the leader does. Describe examples of toddlers imitating the leader’s actions. Example: “Alex is watching carefully. He is moving his scarf up high just like our leader! He is copying our leader.”
Invite toddlers, one at a time, to serve as leader. Offer suggestions of simple walking patterns and/or scarf movements, if necessary.
Some toddlers may watch and imitate the leader’s walking pattern and movements with the scarf whereas others may enjoy walking around the room behind the leader. Acknowledge each type of participation while continuing to draw attention to the leader’s actions. The activity should be fun and lighthearted rather than focused on correctly imitating movements. Watching and imitating both a walking pattern and scarf movements (especially changes in scarf movements) is challenging. A short activity may be best. Toddlers should not be expected to follow in a straight line.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: scarves—1 per toddler and caregiver
Provide scarves in a basket on a low table or surface. Invite toddlers to play with the scarves. Toddlers may interact with the scarves in different ways, such as dancing, twirling, waving them in the air, or wrapping the scarves around themselves. Encourage toddlers to imitate each other as they think of different ways to interact with the scarves. Recite the “Copy Cat Rhyme” (Option 1) to remind toddlers of the imitation aspect of the activity. Comment as toddlers imitate others. Example: “Adrianna, you are twirling your scarf around just like Brice!”
Materials Needed: scarves—1 per toddler and caregiver
Children of all ages enjoy Follow the Leader. Older children may enjoy taking turns being the leader. You may wish to include different scarf movements as part of the song “Shake to My Lou.”
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