What you’ll need
- A box or fabric bag
- Five large, familiar objects such as a washcloth, spoon, soft ball, or whole orange
Before you start
- Use objects too large to fit inside the child’s mouth.
- Do not use batteries, magnets, coins, balloons, sharp or breakable items, medicines, or known allergens.
- An adult selects every object and stays with the child throughout the game.
In this game, a child reaches into a box or bag, feels one object without looking, and guesses what it is. A wooden spoon, washcloth, soft ball, toy animal, and mitten make a good first set because they feel very different from one another.
How to play
- The adult chooses five safe, large objects and checks each one before it goes into the box.
- Show your child how to put in one hand without looking.
- Ask simple prompts: “Is it soft or hard?” “Is it smooth or bumpy?”
- Let the child guess, then take the object out and look at it together.
- Switch roles and let your child give you clues while you guess. The adult still checks every object before it goes into the box.
For a younger child, use three very different objects and offer two possible answers. For ages 6–8, add objects with a similar shape and ask for three describing words before the guess.
Want more ideas that fit your family?
Better Family gives you daily suggestions for time with your child. Add the ones that suit you to your plan and mark them complete when you’re done.
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