Exploring items in a treasure box is a great way to teach your child new naming and descriptive words. It's also a fun way to help them to understand the world around them.
You can fill your box with absolutely anything - from items in nature to toys to objects lying around your house.
Watch the video below to see our family learning all about pine cones, pebbles and seaweed.
(Child babbles)Pinecone.
Spikey.Spikey yeah.
Pinecone.Pinecone.
Ooo wow!(Child babbles)
Is that heavy?
Woah.Oh wow!
It's a rock.
A rock.A rock.
Bumpy.Bumpy.
(Child babbles)
What can you find?
Ooh, shall we sit downand have a look?
Ooo seaweed.
Seaweed.
Bumpy.Bumpy.
Shall we pop it?
Pop!Pop!
Pop!Pop!
Shell.Seashells.
(Child babbles)
Listen, it's making a noise.
Shall we try and listen for the sea?Yeah. Yeah.
Can you hear the sea?Yeah.
Yeah?
Hello?
What are the language benefits of a sensory treasure box?
- Exploring a box of interesting objects is a great way to encourage conversation.
- Talking about different objects helps expand your child's vocabulary.
- Finding new and unusual objects together gives opportunities to use describing words.
- Encouraging your child to use all their senses to explore an object, can help them build brain connections.
- Treasure basket play is an excellent way of developing concentration skills and attention span.
Top tips for playing with a treasure box or basket
When playing with your treasure basket, let your child take the lead and choose the objects they want to pick up.
Use words to describe the object, but try not to overwhelm your child. At this age your child is picking up new words very quickly, but you don't want to confuse them.
Choose one descriptive word at a time and focus on this property.
Treasure baskets can help your child start to think about objects mathematically. By focussing on properties such as weight and size, you can help them link new words to abstract concepts.
Help your child understand what a word means before moving on. Using more than one of your senses can help children link words with their meanings.
Exploring new objects with children can also give opportunities for pretend play and developing imagination. You don't just have to describe the object, see how your child interacts with it.
What items should I use in a treasure basket?
You can put anything you want in your treasure basket or box. Try to include items that offer a wide range of sensory qualities for your child to explore.
Think about different describing words when choosing your objects. Are your objects rough, soft, shiny, cold or heavy?
We've included a couple of everyday objects below that might be a good place to start:
| A sponge | A wooden spoon | A whisk |
| A pine cone | Keys | A shiny spoon |
| A hair scrunchie | A shell | A brush |
| A stone or rock | An egg box | Old magazines |
More on the magic of everyday objects
Click on the below links to find out more about why even the most mundane objects to you can be magical play and learning tools for your child.
- Discover the language benefits of 18 magical everyday objects
- What happens when a treasure box meets what's in the bag? A game of tap tap box!
- Find out more about babies' weird obsessions and what they can learn from them.
