Why It’s a Great Game!
Objectives & Learning Outcomes
Social Emotional Development:
- Learning to cooperate
- Accepting others’ ideas
- Taking turns
Cognitive Development:
- Replicating physically what the eyes see (developing visual sensitivity to change)
- Developing focus, attention, and concentration
- Learning about the concept of mirror reflection
Physical Development:
- Practicing a variety of nonlocomotor movements
- Developing spatial awareness (an awareness of space, relative distance, and relationships with space–experiencing personal space)
How to Play
Set Up and Materials
- Available indoor or outdoor space
- Children paired up and scattered in the space
- Music
- If desired, demonstrate the concept of reflection using a mirror
Directions
- Partners face each other at arm’s distance apart.
- Ask one child to be the “leader” and perform simple movements in place and his partner (the second child) to imitate the leader as a mirror reflection. For example, if the leader waves his right arm, the “mirror” waves his left arm in the same way, duplicating the movement as if he is looking into a mirror.
- Start the music–fast or slow. The use of slow background music might help keep the partners moving slowly at first.
- Go from simple (only one body part moving) to complex (more than one body part moving at the same time).
- When the music stops, partners change roles, with the leader becoming the mirror and the mirror becoming the leader.
Suggestions & Variations
- Children will mirror better if they watch each other’s eyes rather than extremities.
- Ask the leader to move slowly enough so the mirror can follow.
- Have the players do the activity while sitting.
- Combine the activity with streamers or scarves.
Discount School Supply® Product Recommendations:
Rainbow Dancing Wrist Bands (RNBW)
Juggling Scarves (JUGGLE)
Daily Fitness 4 CD Set (MOVEMENT)
Circle Time Fun Set – 3 CDs (CTIMEFUN)
Hamilton™ AM/FM CD Player (BOOMBOX)
Look At Me Mirror Kit (LOOKATME)