By this age, your little one has had some experience and may even enjoy seeing herself in the mirror. Moving parts of her face and seeing it happening in the mirror can be quite fascinating. This activity will let her see how her mouth moves as she names objects you have gathered for her.
- variety of objects your child can name
- basket or box
- mirror
Step 1: Gather a variety of objects that your child can name and place them in a basket. Have a mirror that is safe for your child to hold or do this activity near a mirror in your home.
Step 2: Look in the mirror together and ask her to point to the parts of her face, ending with her mouth. For example:
“Look in this mirror. Who is that? Yes, that is you, Eva! I can see your eyes. Can you show me your eyes? Where is your nose? How about your mouth?”
Step 3: Introduce the basket of objects and have her choose an object and tell you what it is. Have her look in the mirror as she says the word. Comment on how her mouth opens when she says the word. For example:
“Pick one of these toys. What did you pick? Block. Watch your mouth move when you say block. I can see your mouth open when you say block. Pick another toy and tell me what it is. I can see your mouth open three times when you say banana.
Step 4: Continue with the other objects in the basket or until she loses interest.
Limit the objects to those that are very familiar to your child. If your child is hesitant, say the name of the object for her. Look in the mirror and exaggerate your mouth movement. Then encourage her to try.
See if your child can tell you how many times her mouth moves when she says the word. Add a clap per syllable while saying the word and count how many times she claps (e.g., banana – three claps).
