Magical Mirrors and I: Interweaving Learning with Mirror Play

Key insights

7 takeaways

01
Magical Mirrors and I is a web-based interactive game built with the p5.js JavaScript library that uses digital "laughing mirrors" to promote self-awareness and shape recognition in toddlers and preschoolers.
02
Children act as magicians by performing physical actions prompted by rhymed voiceovers and speaking the spell word "PEEKABOO," which voice recognition detects to transform their reflection into fat, thin, tall, small, funny, or doubled forms.
03
The authors frame mirror self-recognition as a cognitive milestone and argue that mirrors are an under-explored interactive modality, with prior applications in emotion recognition, therapy, augmented reality makeup, and public advertising displays.
04
The evaluation was an informal usability study with only two children aged two to five, playing on a laptop for about 20 minutes with an adult supervisor present, so the findings have limited generalizability.
05
Observed children showed high initial excitement, active movement, eager shouting of the spell word, and sustained attention to transformations, with comments such as "My legs have become so tall!"
06
The authors conclude that repetitive rhymes helped children anticipate subsequent actions and that interweaving educational content with mirror play creates an engaging learning experience.
07
Planned future work includes adding further transformation forms and reflection manipulations to the application.

Summary

This extended abstract, presented at DiGRA 2022, introduces Magical Mirrors and I, a web-based interactive game that uses digital "laughing mirrors" to promote self-awareness and shape recognition among toddlers and preschoolers. Children act as magicians, performing a physical action prompted by rhymed voiceovers and then speaking the spell word "PEEKABOO." The application's voice recognition detects the spell and transforms the child's reflection into forms such as fat, thin, tall, small, funny, or doubled. The interface, built with the p5.js JavaScript library, draws on a competitive analysis of children's storybooks and digital games, using a forest scene and rhyme-based animations to balance familiarity with fascination.

The authors position the work within research on mirror self-recognition as a cognitive milestone and on the role of mirrors in pretend play, imitation, and early motor development. They argue that mirrors are an under-explored interactive modality, citing existing applications in emotion recognition, therapy, augmented reality makeup, and public advertising displays.

The evaluation was a small, informal usability study with two children aged two to five, playing on a laptop in an open space with an adult supervisor present. Observations included high initial excitement, active movement and facial play, eager shouting of the spell word, and sustained attention to the transformations, with children making comments such as "My legs have become so tall!" The session lasted about 20 minutes. The authors conclude that repetitive rhymes helped children anticipate subsequent actions and that interweaving educational content with mirror play produces an engaging learning experience. They note that the study's very small sample limits generalizability and plan to add further forms and reflection manipulations.