Pumpkin Hunt

What you need

• two or three small pumpkins, or orange balls
• a basket

How to do it

1. Hide two or three small pumpkins round the garden or the room, low down and easy to spot.
2. Give your toddler the basket and ask, 'Where are the pumpkins?'
3. Follow them round and point if they need a clue.
4. Count each pumpkin out loud as it goes in the basket.
5. Tip them out and hide them again.

Why it matters

Walking about with a basket and stopping to pick things up works their balance, and finding what you hid shows them things are still there when they can't see them.

What they're learning

Carrying while walking

Holding a basket that gets heavier with each pumpkin makes them adjust their balance as they go.

Remembering where

Going back to a spot and finding a pumpkin there is early memory at work.

Number words

Hearing 'one, two, three' as each pumpkin lands puts number words next to real things.

What to look for

Watch whether they head straight for a spot they saw you use. Either way, the fun is the finding.

A tip

Mini pumpkins get heavy in a basket, so swap in an orange ball or two if the load gets too much.

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