I work in a Montessori private nursery and I had a conversation about how the teachers observe their children, how they need one to one sessions and ways to further their knowledge and learning. One teacher (learner-still doing her course) explained to me that she had to come up with an idea for an activity which she was being assessed on. She came up with the idea of having small mirrors for each child in order to look at their reflect and to create a replica of their face on the plate given by using cut up fruit/dry fruit/vegetables. This covered healthy eating, self-awareness (seeing their reality and ones self), learning number and shapes and the ability to explore their imagination.
Dr Ginni Mansberg is a GP – she says that while there are developmental benefits of mirror play parents should just take the time to enjoy the way their babies and toddlers interact with reflective surfaces.
“Doing it with them makes it fun, interactive and can provide an opportunity for unstructured play.Unstructured play is categorised as play with no specific learning objective and its benefits can include protecting children from the effects of stress and, importantly, allowing parents to engage fully with their children.”
The Mirror - Raquel Soares Freitas 