Mirror painting is an activity we’ve been been to try for a while. Using different surfaces, textures or tools always helps to add an extra level of interest and keep the kids attention focused on simple activities like painting. Painting on mirrors is a wonderfully sensory experience, with the feel of the paintbrush on the shiny surface giving different feedback to the child than just plain painting on paper. Of course there is much more to explore visually too with the reflections.
We decided to make our mirror painting glittery by using gold glitter paint and adding glitter to our regular blue paint. The colours mix and swirl together really nicely with the silver reflective surface coming through from the mirror below too. This activity is very simple to set up if you have a spare mirror (use washable paint and it will come off afterwards, leaving you free to re-use that mirror again for another mirror painting session at a later date!) We used an old Ikea Pysslingar mirror which is not the biggest mirror ever, but it did have enough space for 3 children to work on it together and has the bonus of having no sharp edges as some mirrors may have.
As soon as the boys saw this activity they were all keen to try it out and it kept them entertained for a good while, particularly the younger two boys (2 and 4) – they were enthralled in painting on the mirror surface as if it was magic!
I did have a go myself and can understand why they liked it, it’s very relaxing! The glitter paint definitely added some extra appeal too.
We talked about how the colours mix and how the dark blue with sparkly gold looks like starry the night sky.
The shiny mirrored surface also lends itself really well to mark marking activities within the paint. We used the pre-painted mirror surface to mark out Arabic letters, exposing the mirror underneath. Here’s Mr Z’s alif.
The letter activity will work just as well with the English alphabet, numbers, shapes, or any other kind of markings that you are working on.
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Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
That looks so much fun and the glitter makes it seem extra special. Thanks so much for sharing with the Monday #pinitparty. I have pinned 🙂
Awww this is so good! I can already feel the smooth texture of the mirror and the grainy touch of the glitter =) #LetKidsBeKids
Looks like a lot of fun and a great way to explore texture with paint.
Thanks for linking #LetKidsbeKids
Fantastic idea, a really great twist yet still such a simple activity xx #minicreations
That is a good idea, my two would love writing in the paint with their fingers #minicreations
What a fun idea! I look forward to trying this soon!
Thanks for linking up with the Thoughtful Spot!
Grace says – WOW!!! What a fab idea and I love that both us Little Big People and Mums can enjoy doing it together. Thanks for linking to #minicreations
That looks great. So much more fun than paper – but you don’t get to keep the artwork!
nope, but I have so much artwork floating around done by the kids that sometimes I am glad to have one where we can just take pictures of it, and then wash it all away! lol.