The Easiest Cooperation Game for Kids: Mirror, Mirror

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Many of our therapy sessions take place either within classrooms or with a small group of kids who are working on the same or similar goal areas. Because of this, it’s super important to have a mental list of fun group activities for kids on hand to keep everyone active, moving, and working on skills like coordination, strength, and balance.

As therapists, we love activities for kids that can be adapted for all ages and ability levels.  This activity can be as simple, or as challenging as you make it!  The object is to get your partner to copy the position of your body as if they were looking into a mirror. And while you’re at it, learn some cooperation skills!

What you’ll need:

You’ll just need the kids and some open space for this one!

What to do:

Break kids into partners.  Designate one partner as the “leader” and position the children so that they are facing each other.  The leader positions their body and the other child mimics that position.  For instance, the leader may put one hand on their head and one hand on their belly.

Here are some movement suggestions in case kids get stuck:

-Tree pose

-Two hands on head

-Two hands behind your back

-Bend and touch toes

-Lunge

-Wide leg stretch

-Squat

-Kneel

-Star position (wide legs, wide arms)

-Boat pose

-Superhero pose

How to change it up:

-Position one child (the leader) in front of a group of children or pair a child with an adult

-Have the kids make position changes rapidly, using a timer set at 10 second intervals to challenge the partner to act quickly and challenging the leader to respond to the timer to change

-Instead of static positions, have kids play this game with movements like jumping jacks, marching, hopping on one foot, lunges, jumping, etc.

-Try the same activity using only facial expressions!

-Try this same activity using various props.  For example, can kids imitate each other’s movements using a beanbag? Or a ball?

Skill Areas Addressed:

Balance, coordination, gross motor skills, motor control, posture, proprioception, social skills, visual perceptual skills

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Lauren Drobnjak

Lauren Drobnjak is co-author of The Inspired Treehouse blog and a pediatric physical therapist who currently practices in the educational environment. She has been a physical therapist for 18 years, with 17 of those years specifically in pediatrics. Her drive to make a difference in the lives of kids has led her entrepreneurial spirit in the direction of creating opportunities for play-based wellness and child development. She is a busy mama of 3 who thrives on chaos. To come down from the stress, Lauren enjoys exercising like she’s still 20, yoga, chocolate, a great book, browsing Pinterest, and anything crafty!

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