Confidence & feelings
Mirror faces
- Builds: Reading feelings on faces
- 10 min
- Ages 1–4
- Calm
- No mess
From the house
- A big mirror you can sit in front of
How to play
- Sit together in front of the mirror and make a big happy face: “Happy!”
- Try sad, surprised and angry faces, naming each one as you make it.
- They copy your face, then you copy theirs.
- Link one to their day: “You looked so happy when you saw the dog.”
Fit it to your child
- Easier: Stick to happy and surprised, add a peekaboo, and let them simply watch your face change.
- Harder: Make a face without saying the feeling, and they guess it and say when someone might feel that way.
Words to use
- happy
- sad
- surprised
- angry
- face
Why it helps
Seeing a feeling on a face and hearing its name gives them words for what’s going on inside, so big feelings are easier to talk about.
Grown-up eyes: Use a mirror fixed to a wall or door, or a shatterproof baby mirror, not a loose glass one.