Mirror feeling faces
2–3 yearsEmotional WellbeingMaterials: Mirror
Sit with your child in front of a mirror and make different facial expressions together. Name each emotion as you make the face. Try happy, sad, surprised, angry, and silly faces.
Part of the Imprint developmental journey — personalized to your child.
How to Do This Activity
Sit with your child in front of a mirror and make different facial expressions together. Name each emotion as you make the face. Try happy, sad, surprised, angry, and silly faces.
This activity builds emotional vocabulary during natural play time. Your child learns to connect facial expressions with feeling words, which is the foundation of emotional recognition.
Why It Works
At this age, children are developing the language skills needed to label emotions for the first time. Research shows that children whose emotions were acknowledged and labeled by parents at age 2-3 showed significantly better emotional regulation and understanding at age 4-5 (Goleman, 1995). Making faces in the mirror helps children connect internal feelings with external expressions, building the foundation for emotional intelligence including self-awareness and empathy.
Tips for Parents
Start with your child's current mood and name it. Let them lead sometimes and guess what feeling they're showing.
If they resist making certain faces, that's okay. You can model the expression and simply say the word.
Materials Needed
Mirror
Learning Methods
Symbolic and Pretend PlaySongs, Stories, and RhymesSocial Learning Through Peers
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