For toddlers who are forming a firm sense of “me”, the chance to see themselves in a mirror is especially exciting. This little project lets your toddler play peek-a-boo with him- or herself!

To make a mirror box, I used a wooden box with a hinged lid that Veronika would easily be able to flip open and closed. You can also find boxes like this at the craft store.

Use hot glue to attach a small flat mirror inside the lid of the box.

I decorated the outside with pretty wrapping paper, purely for the aesthetic. And of course she loved playing with extra wrapping paper as I put it together!

We started with just the mirror inside. You can tell from the photos that she was smitten.

She tried playing peek-a-boo with her reflection, and said “hello” to it and paraded around so proudly with the box.

And of course tried climbing in it!

I later added a few photos of family member’s faces, thinking to make the surprise inside the lid different each time. You can mix this up by taping in pictures of animals or other favorite items from magazines, too.

Even once the surprise of the mirror wears off, this makes for a special box to store little keepsakes in.