Jack in the box
Here are some suggestions to help you enjoy time with your baby or toddler.Babies love peek a boo, whilst toddlers enjoy the surprise of things disappearing and then appearing
- Find a time to play
- Find fun toys at home that can pop up from behind a chair or stool
- Hide a cuddly toy inside a small blanket
- Look out for lift the flap books / pop up books
- Encourage your child to handle the toy
- Slowly make the toy disappear
- Maintain eye contact with the child, when the toy pops up, look surprised and happy
- Develop words, such as ‘here he comes’ ‘ ready, steady ,,,’
- Follow your child’s lead and either repeat or let the child explore the game and have a go.
- Progress to hiding toys and finding them with your child
- Keep it simple, one toy at a time, follow your child and know when they’ve had enough
Developmental benefits - Stimulates talk
- Learns how things work
- Encourages vocalisations
- Builds vocabulary
- Encourages coordination (physical development)
- Creates an opportunity to share a special moment with a parent/carer
- Encourages children to explore new objects (cognitive)
- Develops mathematical development as you use positional language, under, over, in front, behind, high, low, on top, underneath.
