Number Bubbles: A Number Recognition and Counting Game on Mirrors

Number Recognition  Counting Practice on Mirrors | Mama Papa Bubba

After seeing Jackie’s post about pairing mirrors with glass gems and dry erase markers on Happy Hooligans  recently, I knew we had to try it.  Mirror play is something I’ve wanted to explore with Miss G for a long while now, and seeing that post gave me the push I needed to go out and pick up a mirror dedicated solely to play.

While I actually thought I’d purchase one large mirror, I ended up buying this inexpensive 4 pack of mirrors from Ikea and I’m so glad I did.  I like the fact that we can arrange the mirrors in different formations and make the playing space smaller or larger, depending on the activity we’re doing that day.  And since we love to have friends over, I also like the fact that we can separate them and give each child his or her own space to create and play when we’re not working on collaborative projects.

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After spending the better part of yesterday just exploring our mirrors, today I set them out again, but this time with a little game in mind.  It was the simplest of set-ups – 2 mirrors set side-by-side, 10 numbered ‘bubbles’ drawn with dry erase marker, and a little bowl of glass gems nearby.

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When Miss G got up, she didn’t even want to take time to have her usual snack before playing the game.  I asked her if she knew what to do, she nodded, and then went in search of the bubble with the number 1 in it.

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I hadn’t anticipated that she’d want to fill the bubbles in number order, but she did… For the first few at least.

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For each bubble, she announced the number, then carefully counted out the corresponding number of glass gems, making sure to keep them all inside the circle.

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When she completed a bubble, she gave herself a proud clap before moving on.

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Now this activity can {obviously} just be done on a chalkboard, a whiteboard, or even a piece of paper, but the mirrors truly do take it to the next level.  The reflection, the brightness, the little clink that is heard when the gem touches the glass – it all makes for a true sensory experience.

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As simple as this was, Gracen absolutely loved it, so we’ll definitely be giving it a try with slightly higher numbers tomorrow. ☺

 

If you don’t have an Ikea nearby, these mirror tiles are very similar to the ones we purchased.  Also, if you’re slightly apprehensive about letting your little one play with a glass mirror, an acrylic shatterproof mirror is always a possibility.

 

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