0 TO 12 MONTHS

RICE HANDS

Fill four trays with rice, cooked spaghetti, water and dried lentils. Select and place one container and a set of stacking cups on the grass in the garden or on a sheet of newsprint. Show your baby how to use her little fingers to fill and stack the stacking cups with the different substances. She’ll love knocking them over to empty them. Then bury a few small plastic toys in the different substances so that she has to use her eyes and hands to dig them out. Lay the water container before her last. Allow her to explore the differences in weight between the substances as she scoops, pours and carries. By doing this she will learn to recognise ingredients with her eyes and better judge how much force is required to lift a bowl filled with water, spaghetti or rice. TIP Expand your child’s touch and visual systems by describing what she sees or feels as she plays, for example, “The water feels wet” or “The lentils feel dry.” This provides the brain with accurate and informed input.

12 TO 24 MONTHS NATURE TRAIL

Find three plastic vessels around your home with small, medium and large openings. Place them in a push cart, and take your child out to the garden. Ask your tot to gather objects to fill the containers. Each time she uses her hand-eye coordination to pick up a stone, twig or leaf, she learns to manipulate her hand to place the object in the right-sized container’s slot. Her eyes will start to judge size better, and she will be able to select the correct bottle after a few incorrect guesses. Once she fills all three containers, empty the contents of one container at a time onto a tray. Ask your child to close her eyes, and place an item in her hand. Ask her what she feels. Then focus on her vision – ask her to point to items that you name, and describe what she sees.

TIP Vary the container sizes for an added challenge and additional learning, and ensure that your garden has a variety of objects for your child to pick up.