Haunted House Box
What you need
- a big cardboard box
- three or four soft toys or chunky toys
- a crayon, to draw a pumpkin
How to do it
- Put the box on the floor and peep at your toddler through the window: "Boo! Who's in the house?"
- Hand them a teddy to post through the window, and say hello to it inside.
- Let them peek through the window to find it again, then reach in and post it back out to you.
- Take turns: you post a toy in while they peek, then they post one in while you peek.
Why it matters
Posting a toy through a window and peeking in to find it again is peekaboo with toys, something that goes away and comes back, and the pumpkin on the box makes it Halloween.
What they're learning
- Object permanence
- Knowing the teddy is still there inside the box is one of the big ideas of this age.
- Hand-eye coordination
- Lining a toy up with a window and pushing it through takes looking and reaching together.
- Early words
- Hello, bye and boo are short, happy words they hear again and again in this game.
What to look for
Watch for them peeking through the window before you say where the toy went. That is them remembering where it is. Check the cut edges are smooth, and use toys too big to fit through a toilet roll tube.
A tip
Tape any loose flaps inside the box so the house stands up on its own.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: leave the top flaps open so the toy is always in sight
Harder: name each toy as it goes in, then ask for one by name
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