Five Nesting Boxes

What you need

• five cardboard boxes or plastic tubs, all different sizes
• a small toy to hide in the smallest one, too big to fit through a toilet roll tube

How to do it

1. Collect five boxes and tubs from the recycling, each a different size, with the lids off.
2. Hide the small toy in the smallest box, then ask your child to fit the boxes inside each other, one by one, until there's just one big box.
3. Let them open it back up to find the toy, saying which is bigger at each step.
4. Then stack them the other way up, biggest at the bottom and smallest on top, into a tower.

Why it matters

Each box has to be bigger than the one going inside it, so every try is a size test, and the toy in the middle is the reward.

What they're learning

Bigger and smaller

This one goes inside because it's smaller.

Trying and checking

If it doesn't fit, try the next size up.

Putting in order

Smallest to biggest, inside and then as a tower.

What to look for

Notice them picking the next box by looking, without trying it first.

A tip

Check every box is clean and dry with no staples, and keep the set for another day.

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