Math at Home is now Early Math Counts! Visit our new website!

More About Mirrors and Magnets

by Jennifer Asimow

Last week I wrote about magnetic number sets and I described wall mirrors for the classroom. This picture shows how beautiful wall mirrors can be and how even the youngest children can benefit from looking at their own reflections. Baby mirrorsUsing this space as a play area can also be an effective way to encourage children to use manipulatives, especially if they are not “table-top” players. In addition to sets of numbers or letters that are brought out as frequently as needed, there are plenty of other manipulatives that can be added to your magnetic play space.

I like this sorting center. Magnetic Sorting SetChildren can sort the items into the paint cans by color or type. Teachers can hand out the magnets and ask the children to put them in the color-coded can, or children can create their own activity. Magnets are often hard to take off a flat surface so they might frustrate younger children (chunky magnets are better for little hands and younger fine motor skills) but for your older 3s and 4s, this might be a really satisfying set.

One Reply to “More About Mirrors and Magnets”

  1. I like the idea of using large mirrors for small children to look at themselves in. It is really cute when you as the caregiver or parent stand in front of the mirror with the child and he or she sees two faces. They can\’t figure it out. I think it would be a good idea to let them dress up in a costume and let them see themselves and see what kind of reaction the child will have.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *