Set up a simple mirror activity for preschool and kindergarten science play! Explore light and reflections through hands-on play. Add a flashlight, spinning tops, a smaller mirror, and other objects to create an easy science lesson. Preschool science experiments can be super simple to do!

Pin

Reflection Of Light For Kids

Try this simple mirror activity for exploring reflections and light with young kids! Exploring reflections is a fantastic science activity for young learners! Please supervise as you fell comfortable!

What is a mirror? What is reflection? What is light? Are there other surfaces that reflect?

We looked around the house, and he named quite a few, including the heart on my silver necklace! Also, have them look at themselves and describe what they see to you. Mirrors can be great for practicing and discussing emotions!

Preschool science ideas are for developing thoughts, questions and observations! Plenty of time to come for definitions and facts!

Hands-on science play, like our mirror play, opens doors to critical thinking and language skills while having fun in a very hands-on play way!

What Is Reflection?

Reflection simply means to send back light, heat or sound without absorbing it. That’s how a mirror works! Or any object that has a reflective surface. The light is not absorbed and instead bounces off the surface.

Smooth, shiny surfaces such as mirrors and polished metals reflect light well. Dull and dark surfaces like dark fabrics don’t reflect light well.

Simple Mirror Activity

TIP: Make sure to engage in conversations with kids about their observations. Ask open-ended questions, such as “What happens when you shine the light on the mirror?” or “Can you describe how the reflections change?”

Supplies:

  • Large mirror (child safety glass)
  • Hand-held mirror (child safety glass)
  • Objects with reflective surfaces
  • Optional – flashlight

Instructions:

STEP 1. Collect a variety of items with reflective surfaces. Encourage children to explore everyday objects like metal utensils, CDs, aluminum foil, or any shiny materials.

STEP 2. Begin by introducing the materials and explaining that the goal is to explore how light reflects off different surfaces. Highlight the importance of using the torch and mirror to discover how light interacts with each item.

STEP 3. Invite children to pick up each item one by one and examine its reflective properties. Encourage them to observe how the light from the torch interacts with the surface.

STEP 4. Turn on the torch and demonstrate how it emits light. Show children how to direct the beam of light onto the reflective surfaces to see how they shine and reflect.

STEP 5. Introduce the mirror and explain that it can be used to redirect or focus the light onto different surfaces. Encourage children to hold the mirror at different angles and observe how it changes the reflection.

Extend The Activity: Encourage creativity by asking children to experiment with creating patterns or shadows using the reflective items and the torch. They can project shapes onto surfaces or create interesting effects with the mirror. You can find more shadow activities for preschoolers here.

Our Experience

For this simple mirror activity, we talked about reflection while we played around! He told me it is all about light bouncing around and bouncing back onto him! He enjoyed angling my little compact mirror with two sides so that he could examine each object.

Mirror Play Playing with ReflectionsPin

He also wanted shiny objects to shine his flashlight on to show the light bouncing off and onto him. We used the mirror and flashlight to make reflections on the wall and changed angles to see where we could get the light to hit!

Mirror Play Exploring LightPin

Additional Mirror Activity Ideas

Preschoolers can engage in various fun and educational activities with mirrors to explore reflection and light. Here are some ideas:

Mirror Me: Play a game where children mimic each other’s movements using mirrors. This helps them understand the concept of reflection and promotes social interaction.

Mirror Drawing or Painting: Using erasable markers, let kids draw on a vertical surface like a mirror. Or try painting with shaving cream on a mirror. This activity promotes fine motor skills and spatial awareness.

Loose Pieces: Set out a basket of translucent acrylic gems and shapes for kids to create patterns and designs on the surface of a child-safe mirror. You can include number, shape, and letter cards to add a learning component to the mirror activity.

Nature Reflections: Take child-safe mirrors outdoors and explore reflections in natural settings. Kids can observe the reflection of trees, clouds, or even themselves in the mirror.

More Fun Ways To Teach Kids About Light

More Fun Preschool Activities

Printable Preschool Pack

Get ready to explore this year with our growing Preschool STEM Bundle! Or grab the individual packs.

What’s Included:

There are ten fun preschool themes to get you started. This is an ” I can explore” series! You’ll find both seasonal and non-seasonal themes appropriate to preschool learning throughout the year.

Each unit contains approximately 15 activities, with instructions and templates as needed. Hands-on activities are provided to keep it fun and exciting. This includes sensory bins, experiments, games, and more! Easy supplies keep it low cost, and book suggestions add the learning time.

Why Is Science Important For Preschoolers?

Kids are curious and always looking to explore, discover, check things out, and experiment to find out why things do what they do, move as they move, or change as they change!

Indoors or outdoors, science is amazing! Let’s introduce our younger kiddos to science at a time in their development when they are curious about the world around them!

Science surrounds us, inside and out. Preschoolers love looking at things out with magnifying glasses, creating chemical reactions with kitchen ingredients, and, of course, exploring stored energy! Check out 50 awesome preschool science projects to get started!

There are lots of easy science concepts that you can introduce kids to very early on! You might not even think about science when your toddler or preschooler pushes a cart down a ramp, plays in front of the mirror, laughs at your shadow puppets, or bounces balls over and over again.

See where I am going with this list! What else can you add if you stop to think about it? Science starts early, and you can be a part of that with setting up science at home with everyday materials.

Or you can bring easy science to a group of kids! We find a ton of value in cheap science activities and experiments. Check out our helpful science resources below.

Helpful Science Resources To Get Your Started

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

Pin

2 Comments

  1. Pingback: Preschool Science Experiments and Science Activities

Comments are closed.