Brushing in the Mirror

What you need

• their toothbrush
• a smear of toothpaste
• the bathroom mirror

How to do it

1. Lift your toddler up so they can see themselves in the mirror.
2. Brush your own teeth beside them, slowly and obviously.
3. Hand them their brush and let them copy what they can see you doing.
4. Finish their teeth yourself while they watch it happening in the mirror.

Why it matters

Brushing happens on the one part of themselves a toddler can't see, so a mirror turns something being done to them into something they can watch and copy.

What they're learning

Copying a movement

Watching your brush and then moving theirs the same way is how the action gets learned.

That's me

Recognising themselves in the mirror is a big piece of understanding they're a person like you.

Having a go

Seeing what their own hand is doing makes the brush much easier to aim.

What to look for

Watch for them looking at their own mouth in the mirror rather than at you. That's them checking their own work.

A tip

Do your own teeth at the same time rather than just supervising. Copying you is doing most of the work here.

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