Every couple of weeks or so I like to go on a treasure hunt at the dollar store, searching for new items to use on our beloved DIY light table.
Recently, I ended up finding a couple of different Valentine's Day heart mobiles that were bright red and transparent, which I thought would look amazing on the light table. So I bought them and then quickly disassembled them into their individual heart pieces.
While the hearts looked amazing on the light table (just as I had expected!), they also looked awesome in our DIY mirror box, as you will see below.
So, if you're looking for a Valentine's Day themed invitation to play for toddlers and preschoolers, then look no further than this simple Valentine's Day mirror box activity. It's so pretty and engaging!
A version of this post originally appeared on B-Inspired Mama.
Valentine's Day Mirror Box Activity: What You'll Need
Here's what we used for this fun Valentine's Day inspired loose parts play and sensory activity:
- DIY mirror box - You can find details on how our mirror box was constructed here.
- Heart manipulatives, in various sizes (ideally transparent ones similar to those shown in the photos, but not necessary) - I found these at the dollar store. You could use foam hearts or heart cookie cutters as an alternative.
- Red & pink buttons, in various sizes
In terms of set up, I simply set out the transparent hearts, some red and pink buttons, and the mirror box. I didn't place anything inside the mirror box as a prompt, but you are welcome to put a few of the materials in the mirror box if you'd like.
Exploring Symmetry with this Valentine's Day Play with Mirrors
Two year old K showed little interest in this activity and chose to play with something else, which is totally okay. My four year old J, however, spent a long time exploring with these Valentine's themed materials.
First, he used the buttons, creating a beautiful button design in shades of pink and red.
From there, he cleared the mirror box of the buttons and started playing with the different heart manipulatives. He initially started with just a few hearts...
Then, he experimented a bit with buttons and hearts. But, eventually he moved onto layering the hearts, which looked really cool in the reflections.
This activity kept J quite engaged for quite some time and I loved watching him explore and experiment with the different materials. I'm never sure how open-ended invitations to play like this will unfold, but it's always fun to watch.
If your kids end up enjoying this Valentine's Day mirror box activity like my oldest son did, then you might also like to try this Valentine's Day heart and mirror play. It uses the same heart manipulatives as we used above.
