“When you wave bye-bye, clap your hands, or make a silly noise, does {child_name} try to copy you?”
Follow-up: “Which gestures does {he_she} pick up — waving, clapping, blowing kisses, something else?”
Not yet
Watches but doesn't copy
Emerging
Copies one or two familiar gestures, mostly after many models
Developing
Copies several gestures and tries new ones
Secure
Readily copies new gestures and noises as soon as {he_she} sees them
Imitation is how toddlers learn almost everything — the more you do it together, the faster it grows.