The 5 Developmental Benefits of a Mirror

Mirrors are wonderful educational tools for young children. They are recommended from birth in Montessori spaces.

The 5 Developmental Benefits of a Mirror

1. Encourages Self-Observation and Awareness – Watching their own movements helps children understand their body parts and how they move, fostering self-awareness and building self-esteem.
2. Supports Spatial Awareness – Mirrors provide a broader view of the room, allowing children to see themselves and others from different perspectives, deepening their understanding of space and movement.
3. Promotes Movement and Coordination – Infants and toddlers are naturally drawn to their reflections, encouraging them to practice movements like waving, clapping, or reaching, which helps refine their motor skills.
4. Develops Emotional Awareness – Mirrors invite children to experiment with facial expressions, helping them recognize and understand emotions in themselves and others. You can also print these Emotion Nomenclature Cards and have your child practice making the expressions.
5. Encourages Social Development – When children see their reflection, they may respond as if interacting with another person, which can lead to early social skills like smiling, making eye contact, and engaging in playful interactions with themselves.

Suggested Areas to Place Mirrors

You want at least one mirror in the home where the child is able to see themselves from head to toe.

In infancy, during tummy time, a horizontal mirror in their play space is recommended. Once the child is older, the mirror can be hung vertically.

Here are the two main spaces a mirror is recommended:

• A vertical mirror for dressing/undressing - this allows your child to see what they're doing, make adjustments independently, and gain confidence in managing zippers, buttons and layers. It's also helpful to have one near the entryway for dressing/undressing of outerwear.
  
  
• Above the sink - so your child can independently wipe their faces. This mirror is especially useful in helping children to develop awareness that their faces are dirty, i.e. "I don’t need to wipe my face!"
  
  If you don’t have an accessible mirror near the kitchen, a small, child-friendly mirror (handheld or on the wall) can be a great addition to help children check their faces after snacks and meals.