What you need
- Two trays
- Two of each of a few objects (such as two socks, two spoons, two identical toys and two red crayons)
What to do
- Place one of each object on one of the trays, and the matching objects on the other tray. It’s best to start with no more than four different objects at first.
- Lay the items out on each tray so they are identical to each other. Let your toddler look at and talk about the items to get familiar with them.
- Tell your toddler to turn around or close their eyes.
- Take one object away from one tray, your toddler can open their eyes now.
- See if your toddler can tell you, or show you, which has gone by pointing to the item on the other tray.
- Take it in turns to be the person who takes an item away for as long as your toddler enjoys playing.
Good to know
Once they find this too easy, you can switch it up to play with just one tray with a selection of different items on it. Give them a few seconds to look at the objects. Cover the whole tray with a towel, or ask your toddler to close their eyes, and remove one of the items without them seeing. Then ask if they can tell you what’s missing.