Children love surprises! Hide an everyday item and it becomes a treasure to find.
- plastic bin or container
- sand, rice or cornmeal
- small toys or household items (plastic animals, balls, keys, large size nuts and bolts, letter/number magnets, plastic spoons, etc.)
Step 1: Place a tablecloth or other protective covering on the floor.
Step 2: Put sand, rice or cornmeal in a plastic bin and hide small toys or items.
Step 3: Invite your child to dig through the sand (or rice or cornmeal) to find the hidden treasures.
Step 4: Ask your child to tell you what he finds. You can add more language to the conversation by adding details. For example:
You found the yellow ball. Can you point to the blue stripes on the ball? The ball is round and, look: it bounces!
There’s your purple truck! How many wheels are on the truck? Look at the windshield. It’s just like the windshield on my truck. But my truck is red. It is not purple.
You found the key. Daddy uses the key to open the door to the house. What else does Daddy use a key for? That’s right – to start the truck.
Label the items for your child and ask him to repeat.
Ask your child to feel in the sand to locate a certain item. For example:
Reach into the sand without peeking and see if you can find the house key! It’s flat and it has bumps on one edge.
