Hi everyone, looking for some advice…
My now 3 year old DD has always been quite a copy cat, I noticed it quite a while ago that she would copy what other children do and say if we had play dates, will want to copy what they wear, go to the toilet if they go to the toilet, repeat what they say etc and I always wondered if it was a bit weird but google assured me it was normal. It now seems to have gone too far…
the last few pick ups at nursery I’ve been taken aside and told she’s not had good days as she is constantly copying negative behavior. She’s got ‘obsessed’ with a group of more loud ‘naughty’ children and copies everything they do - changing her voice and accent to sound the same as one, licking other children, hitting and jumping on other children, drinking from puddles… the list goes on.
nursery are concerned that her copying is extreme, and it’s very disruptive. Also as she’s copying all the negative behaviors whereas one child in the group might do one or two negative/disruptive things in a day, she’s doing 10 as she’s copying all the negative things. She doesn’t instigate her own playing or games or conversations, everything is copied and most of it is negative!
I have no idea what’s going on?! The reasons behind this extreme copying and how to stop it. She is an only child and at home yes she can be hyperactive and a bit challenging but nothing I thought was particularly unusual…