Bell Hide and Listen

from 12 months · 5-10 min · Sensory

What you need

a shaker of bells with the lid taped shut, or a baby rattle with bells sealed inside
a cushion or the sofa to hide behind

Shake the bells in front of your toddler so they know the sound.
Hide the bells behind a cushion close by and give them a jingle: "Where are the bells?"
Let them crawl or toddle over to find them, then cheer and shake them together.
Hide them somewhere new, a little further away each time: behind the sofa, under a blanket, behind your back.

Turning towards a sound and going to find it links what they hear with where things are.

Listening: Finding where a sound comes from is real listening work.
Still there: Knowing the bells are still there when they cannot see them is a big idea at this age.
On the move: Going after the sound gets them crawling, cruising or walking across the room.

Watch for them turning their head towards the jingle before they set off. Stay close, nothing in mouths.

Check the tape on the lid before each game. Loose bells are small enough to choke on, so they stay sealed inside.

Easier: hide the bells under a blanket right in front of them

Harder: jingle once, go quiet, and see if they remember where the sound came from