The following mirror exercises will help your child develop his/her observational and listening skills so that s/he learns how to catch nuances of body movements and facial clues from others and appropriately respond to them. This collaborative effort can then translate into creative expression.
WHAT YOU NEED
Full-length mirror(s)
Vocabulary: mirror, mirror image, reflection, movement, expression
What to do:
- Discuss with your child various uses of mirrors. Point out, when necessary, that a mirror lets one see one's self the way others see him/her by way of reflection.
- Have your child stand in front of a mirror and describe what s/he sees. Encourage him/her to go beyond his/her own reflection and to observe what s/he sees in the background.
- Have him/her move closer and then farther away from the mirror and note the differences.
Now have him/her stand before a mirror and make simple movements, such as patting his/her heads with left hand, pretending to clean a window with right hand, and so forth. - Call his/her attention to the way a mirror reverses things; that is, though the person may be moving his or her right hand, the mirror image appears to be using his or her left hand. To demonstrate, have a student pretend to be a mirror image of you and do the same motions. You will be using your right hand, s/he will be using his.her left hand.
- Finally, try a series of movements - 2-3 movements at a time for very young children, but this time tell your child to copy (mirror) the exact sequence of your movements after you have finished the sequence.
The last exercise is the most challenging, but also the most rewarding. It's one that your child can improve on listening skills as s/he becomes accustomed to the concentration and collaborative effort.
No comments:
Post a Comment