VisionStart · 0–4 months

Playing with the mirror

You show them their reflection in a mirror, and they discover a face that smiles and moves right along with them.

To do with your baby in the first 4 months. It works on: visual movement and visual focus. You'll need: mirror.

In the app, one activity a day for their age →

What do I need?

• Mirror

How do I do it?

1. 01

   Set up the mirror

   Place your baby in front of a shatterproof mirror (an acrylic baby mirror or a wall mirror at their height). They can be on their back, on their tummy or propped up with their back well supported.

2. 02

   Point to their reflection

   Point to the face in the mirror, say their name and add cheerfully: “Look! There you are!”

3. 03

   Watch their reactions

   Notice what they do: they may smile at the “other baby,” touch the mirror, make faces or babble as if they were talking to it.

4. 04

   Bring the mirror closer

   If they're on their tummy, put the mirror right in front of their face. Seeing that face encourages them to hold their head up for longer.

5. 05

   Follow their cues

   When they look away or start to fuss, leave it for today.

What are they learning?

In the mirror they see a face that moves when theirs does, and they practise looking at it closely. If they smile, the reflection smiles back. On their tummy, they also practise holding their head up. They don't know yet that the face is theirs: they'll find that out later.

• Visual movement

  Sees the face in the mirror move at the same time as their body

• Visual focus

  Keeps their eyes on the face that appears in the mirror

What the research says

1. How human eyesight develops

   Braddick & Atkinson · 2011

2. How visual attention develops in babies

   Colombo · 2001

See all 4 references

1. Braddick O, Atkinson J. Development of human visual function. Vision Research. 2011;51(13):1588-1609. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.018 doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.018
2. Rosander K. Visual tracking and its relationship to cortical development. Progress in Brain Research. 2007;164:105-122. doi:10.1016/S0079-6123(07)64006-0 doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6123(07)64006-0
3. Colombo J. The development of visual attention in infancy. Annual Review of Psychology. 2001;52:337-367. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.337 doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.337
4. Courage ML, Reynolds GD, Richards JE. Infants' attention to patterned stimuli: developmental change from 3 to 12 months of age. Child Development. 2006;77(3):680-695. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00897.x doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00897.x

Reviewed by Javier Atance Ibar, PhD in Education