Connection & feelings

Make-a-face choices

Use playful face and body choices to notice visible expressions without labelling the child's inner state.

10 minutes

What you'll need

Unbreakable child-safe mirror held by the caregiver, optional

Before you start

Child is comfortable sharing a short play routine with a familiar caregiver

Best fit: either · medium energy · medium caregiver effort · low mess

How to play

  1. Make one visible pretend expression.
  2. Invite the child to copy it, point to a matching picture, choose a different face or pass.
  3. Name only visible features, then wonder what the pretend character might need.
Make it easier

Copy simple eyebrow, mouth or shoulder movements without emotion words.

Standard

Use playful face and body choices to notice visible expressions without labelling the child's inner state.

Extend it

Act out a short pretend problem and choose a face plus a possible response for the character.

What you might notice

Notice how the child communicates ideas about a pretend character; do not infer the child's own feelings or ask them to produce a calm face.

Keep it safe

Check that every material is intact, age-appropriate and non-toxic. Stay nearby, keep movement at floor level, and let the child stop, simplify or change the activity.

Why it may be useful

Following your child's lead and responding to their signals may support warm, reciprocal interaction.

strong

Supports responsive interaction as a broad mechanism, not a claim that a single activity changes development.

Jeong et al. (2021) — Parenting interventions to promote early child development in the first three years of life: A global systematic review and meta-analysis

Pitchik et al. (2024) — A meta-analytic review of the implementation characteristics in parenting interventions to promote early child development

Leijten et al. (2021) — Teaching Parents to Be Responsive: A Network Meta-analysis

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