Household objects to handle
A step on from the basket: bangles, rings, tins and tubes that stack, post, nest and rattle.
The Curiosity Approach · Heuristic play for babies · the whole video · Adult and child playing · watch on YouTube
- You need
- Things you definitely have
- Takes
- Twenty minutes or more
- Energy
- Calm, ordinary
How to start
Gather a handful of objects that do something when put together: curtain rings, a small tin with a lid, cardboard tubes, a colander. Set them out in two or three loose piles rather than one heap. Sit back further than feels natural. The game is them working out what fits inside what.
What tends to happen
Posting one thing inside another is usually the first discovery, and then it is repeated roughly forty times. The repetition is the learning, so resist moving them on.
If it is not working
If they only tip everything out, that is the game for now. Put a container nearby and wait. Filling comes after emptying, often weeks after.
Before you start
Nothing smaller than a toilet roll tube. Check rings and tins for sharp edges before they go in.