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Birth–11 monthsBuilding Relationships

Gazes at faces and copies facial movements. e.g. sticking out tongue, opening mouth and widening eyes.

Observe whether the child: gazes at faces and copies facial movements. e.g. sticking out tongue, opening mouth and widening eyes.

What it looks like

Three ways this behaviour shows up as a child grows. Each level includes everyday moments to watch for.

Emerging

Just starting

The child looks at faces and occasionally produces a similar facial movement, but copying is inconsistent and may happen only after repeated modelling.

What you might see

  • During close face-to-face time, the child does not fixate on the adult’s face for about 2 seconds and looks away immediately.
  • When an adult repeatedly sticks out their tongue or opens their mouth, the child shows no matching mouth/tongue movement beyond baseline.
  • The child turns their head away or becomes distressed as soon as an adult tries a face-to-face game.
  • The child briefly looks at the adult’s eyes/mouth, then looks away quickly.
  • After several demonstrations, the child produces one matching movement once (e.g., one tongue protrusion) but does not repeat it reliably.
  • The child smiles or coos at the adult, but does not match the specific facial gesture most of the time.

Expected

On track

In face-to-face play with a familiar adult, the child watches the adult’s face and copies simple facial movements within a few seconds.

What you might see

  • The child looks at the adult’s face and produces a similar movement within about 5 seconds after the adult models it.
  • During a rhyme/game, the child copies mouth opening or tongue protrusion while watching the adult’s face.
  • The child repeats copying for 2–3 turns when the adult repeats the same gesture.

Exceeding

Going further

The child frequently engages in back-and-forth imitation games, copying a range of facial movements and sustaining several turns of shared play.

What you might see

  • The child copies more than one type of facial movement (e.g., tongue out, mouth open, big eyes) within a short play episode.
  • The child sustains 4+ back-and-forth turns of copying while showing enjoyment (smiles, excited arm/leg movements).
  • When the adult switches to a new face, the child changes their copying rather than repeating only the first gesture.
  • The child makes a facial gesture first, then looks at the adult expectantly as if inviting imitation.
  • The child copies a new facial movement the adult introduces (e.g., from tongue out to wide eyes) without needing many repetitions.
  • If the adult pauses, the child re-initiates by repeating the gesture and watching for the adult’s response.

Try this at home

Small everyday moments where you can notice this behaviour without setting up anything special.

  • During nappy change or cuddle time, hold your face about an arm’s length away and slowly stick out your tongue; notice whether your baby watches and tries to copy.

  • Play a quick mirror game: you open your mouth wide, then pause and wait 5 seconds to see if your baby matches the movement.

  • While singing a familiar rhyme, add an exaggerated facial movement (big eyes, open mouth) and see if your baby tries the same face.

  • In a calm moment, try 2–3 different faces (tongue out, mouth open, smile) and observe whether copying happens for more than one gesture.

  • Notice whether your baby sometimes starts the game by making a face at you and waiting for you to respond.

Connected behaviours

Behaviours that scaffold, follow, or co-emerge with this one.

Where this comes from

The framework source and supporting developmental research.

Framework source

  • Development Matters in the EYFS (2012), Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Making relationships (birth–11 months).

    The framework specifies early face-to-face engagement and imitation as observable relationship-building behaviors.

Developmental research

  • Meltzoff & Moore (1977), Imitation of Facial and Manual Gestures by Human Neonates (Science).

    Neonatal/early-infant imitation research supports facial gesture matching as a measurable early social-communicative mechanism.

Five-level rubric (detailed)Show

The full progression underlying the three levels above. Used by the platform’s reasoning agent when planning activities and observations.

Not Yet
The child rarely attends to faces at close range and does not show clear attempts to copy facial movements during playful interaction.
  • During close face-to-face time, the child does not fixate on the adult’s face for about 2 seconds and looks away immediately.
  • When an adult repeatedly sticks out their tongue or opens their mouth, the child shows no matching mouth/tongue movement beyond baseline.
  • The child turns their head away or becomes distressed as soon as an adult tries a face-to-face game.
Emerging
The child looks at faces and occasionally produces a similar facial movement, but copying is inconsistent and may happen only after repeated modelling.
  • The child briefly looks at the adult’s eyes/mouth, then looks away quickly.
  • After several demonstrations, the child produces one matching movement once (e.g., one tongue protrusion) but does not repeat it reliably.
  • The child smiles or coos at the adult, but does not match the specific facial gesture most of the time.
Developing
In face-to-face play with a familiar adult, the child watches the adult’s face and copies simple facial movements within a few seconds.
  • The child looks at the adult’s face and produces a similar movement within about 5 seconds after the adult models it.
  • During a rhyme/game, the child copies mouth opening or tongue protrusion while watching the adult’s face.
  • The child repeats copying for 2–3 turns when the adult repeats the same gesture.
Secure
The child frequently engages in back-and-forth imitation games, copying a range of facial movements and sustaining several turns of shared play.
  • The child copies more than one type of facial movement (e.g., tongue out, mouth open, big eyes) within a short play episode.
  • The child sustains 4+ back-and-forth turns of copying while showing enjoyment (smiles, excited arm/leg movements).
  • When the adult switches to a new face, the child changes their copying rather than repeating only the first gesture.
Reflexive
The child initiates imitation games (makes a face first, waits for the adult), adapts to new gestures, and uses face-copying to re-engage others socially.
  • The child makes a facial gesture first, then looks at the adult expectantly as if inviting imitation.
  • The child copies a new facial movement the adult introduces (e.g., from tongue out to wide eyes) without needing many repetitions.
  • If the adult pauses, the child re-initiates by repeating the gesture and watching for the adult’s response.