Tag: mirror

Mirror Play

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Mirror Play (3)

Like most toddlers, Veronika is fascinated with body parts and walks around hiking up her sleeves and pant legs asking, “Mom, can I see my arm? Can I see my leg?”.

Well, yes of course! To double her fun today, I stood her up in front of the mirror. We found her arms and legs, of course, and so much more.

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Including honking our noses.

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While in front of the mirror, encourage your little one to dance! Veronika loved watching her reflection wave hands and tap toes and copy every move she made.

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“Reach up high!” she said, and mirror Veronika did, too.

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She even went in for a silly kiss.

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Mirror play is great at this age because Veronika is old enough to recognize that she’s seeing herself in the mirror. And since two-year-olds are fascinated with themselves, there’s probably no one else she’d rather see!

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Spot the Dot

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Spot the Dot (5)

This silly activity is a fun way to build self awareness for young toddlers, learning that hey, that baby in the mirror is… me!

To help foster this awareness, I put a small splotch of lipstick on Veronika’s cheek while we were playing.

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A few minutes later we headed to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Hello baby in the mirror!

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She loves waving to the mirror, but this time she seemed to realize something was different. I helped point out the dot on her cheek, which – once noticed – was endlessly amusing.

As a variation, next I put a hat on her head. Now she knew something was different right away. She loved grabbing onto the hat.

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And then seemed to offer to put this tiara on the baby in the mirror!

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It’s early for her to truly tell that she’s the one looking back from the glass, but games like this will get her there.

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Mirror Dance

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Mirror Dance (7)

Here’s a little game that can grow more sophisticated the older your baby gets. Veronika is just starting to copy movements, including signing words back to me. It shows that she’s very attuned to others’ body movements, so today we made a dance of it.

I sat down facing her and first, I copied her moves! This is a great way to teach your baby the concept of mirroring.

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So when she popped down a toy piece with her finger, I followed suit.

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And when she put her thumb in the hole of a bead, so did I.

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Then it was mommy’s turn to be the leader! Could she tap two beads together? Yes she could!

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Clap hands? Yup!

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For some extra fun, we took the game in front of a real mirror. She was, admittedly, distracted by being near fun things like sinks and faucets, but if I tapped on the glass, she tapped on the glass!

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I showed her a few other moves, too, like tapping her head or touching her nose.

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This is almost like a baby version of “Simon Says”. Keep playing, and see what your baby will copy!

Mirror Magic

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Mirror Magic (1)

At four months old, Veronika is much more aware of the face in the mirror than she was when we began mirror games, so she and I had some fun with our reflections today. Mirrors seem magical to babies; they still don’t quite understand that they are seeing their own reflection, and yet are starting to notice that the mirror image moves when they do. So play up that magic!

Make sure that you play with a mirror that is nonbreakable for babies this young. I set one up in front of Veronika during tummy time, and got down right next to her.

First, I simply made a neutral face and let her notice us both, but from there I moved on to emotions. As you make each expression, name the emotion. “Happy face!” I cooed to her.

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You can move on to sad faces or silly faces; the latter got a giggle!

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Now mommy’s surprised!

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Add other conversation pointers as you play. “This is your mouth,” I pointed out to her, or “Look at mommy’s mouth.”

Mirror Magic (2)Then it was time to use the mirror for some real magic: making Veronika disappear and reappear. I placed a scarf over the mirror…

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…then peek-a-boo!

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What other mirror games do you play with baby? Please share in the comments!

Mirror Faces

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Mirror Faces (1)

Babies love looking at faces, and this cute activity is a great way to get your little one looking at his or her own.

Lie some place comfortable with your baby, like a soft blanket, and hold a hand mirror up over your faces. You can just gaze at first, or point out facial features.

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From there I moved on to making lots of different expressions, naming them as we went. Happy, silly, sad. Oh no, grumpy!

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Your baby might even try to mirror what you’re doing!