Copy Cats (week 2 of Curiodessy)

This week, I was once again assigned to the Junior Keepers camp. Since I had already participated in this camp before, I felt more confident and found myself with more mental space to observe the students more closely. One thing that stood out to me was how often the kids would mimic the most random things that I or any other adult would do. At first, I just saw it as typical behavior—something kids do as they grow and learn. But because I’ve been trying to look at this camp experience with an anthropological lens, I decided to pay closer attention and reflect more deeply on what was really happening.

What I discovered was surprisingly eye-opening. I learned that this kind of mimicking isn’t just about play—it’s actually how children begin to understand and absorb social norms and culture. By copying the actions, words, and even body language of adults, they are learning what is acceptable, what is valued, and how people interact in their community. It’s their way of taking in the beliefs, values, and customs of the world around them.

Another thing I found really interesting is that mirroring adults can help kids build social connections. When a child imitates an adult, it can actually strengthen the bond between them. That made me feel genuinely touched. When the kids repeated little phrases I would say or copied some of my gestures, it felt like they were trying to connect with me on a deeper level—like they saw me as someone worth trusting or learning from.

But the deeper I looked into it, the more I realized there’s another layer, too. Sometimes, children mimic adults not just to connect, but also to explore limits. They might be testing boundaries—copying something to see if it gets a reaction, or to figure out what kind of behavior is acceptable. It made me reflect more on my own actions and how carefully children observe them, sometimes even to test what happens when they imitate something questionable.

Overall, this experience helped me see the kids’ behavior in a new light. It reminded me how much of an influence we have over their future actions.