Reflection is like when you look in the mirror and see your face looking back at you. The mirror bounces back the light from your face so you can see yourself. It’s almost like the mirror is saying, “Hello!” Mirrors are very good at showing reflections because they are super smooth and shiny.
Imagine you’re holding a shiny spoon. When you look at the spoon, you can see a tiny version of yourself. That’s because the spoon is also reflecting light, just like the mirror. But since the spoon is curved, your reflection looks a bit funny, like a wobbly cartoon!
Think of a pond on a calm day. The water is still, and it acts like a big mirror, showing the sky and trees above. The water reflects the light from the sky and trees. But if you throw a pebble in the pond, the water moves, and the reflection gets all wiggly and jiggly.
Reflection can also happen with sounds. When you shout in a big empty room or a canyon, you might hear your voice come back to you. That’s an echo, which is a sound reflection. The sound waves bounce off walls or mountains and come back so you can hear them again.