Low Table Treasures

What you need

• a low, sturdy table, like a coffee table
• three or four soft or blunt household things: a plastic cup, a sock, a small cardboard box, a folded tea towel

How to do it

1. Clear the table, then set out three or four soft or blunt household things along the top.
2. Sit on the floor next to the table with your toddler and pick one thing up yourself, so they see what's there.
3. Let them pull themselves up on the edge of the table to reach the rest, and explore them standing.
4. When they sit back down, put something new on the table so there's a reason to pull up again.

Why it matters

A low table, with new things turning up on top, makes pulling up something they choose to do again and again.

What they're learning

Pulling up

Up from the floor to the tabletop, over and over, for each new thing.

Standing balance

Holding on with one hand while the other picks up and turns things over.

Exploring

Banging, turning and feeling each new thing is how they find out what it is.

What to look for

Watch for them looking up at the tabletop before they pull up, checking what's arrived.

A tip

Use a table that won't slide or tip when they pull on it, never a glass one, and clear hot drinks, remotes and cables off it first. Keep to soft or blunt things, nothing hard or pointed to fall onto, and anything that fits through a toilet roll tube is too small. Play at a side without sharp corners, and stay within arm's reach.

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