When baby watches their own face and their parent’s face when talking, it helps language development (particularly ‘receptive language’ or ‘ability to understand’).
Moving the mirror slowly across baby’s field of vision helps their visual tracking skills.
This can be a fun activity for baby and whānau to share together — it strengthens their relationship.
How to do it
When you and baby are comfortably lying together on the floor, talk to baby as you look in the mirror together. Tap their nose and say, ‘Baby’s nose’. Do the same with your nose, and say (for example), ‘Mummy’s nose’.
Tap other parts of their face and your own, naming each part.
When baby is focusing on the mirror, try moving it slowly over them, and see if they’ll keep watching themselves as the mirror moves. If so, they’re practising tracking.
You could play with baby this way for several days in a row — what do you notice? Do baby’s responses change over this time?
