What you need
- Four pairs of objects (for example, two spoons, two socks, two teddies, two toy cars)
What to do
- Place one of each pair in a bag and the other in front of your toddler.
- Encourage your toddler to tell you what they can see, and talk a bit about what each thing looks like.
- With lots of excitement, rattle the bag and say something like, “There is something in this bag. Shall we see what it is?”
- Let your toddler pick something out of the bag to show you.
- They might tell you what it is as soon as they see it. If not, you could tell them what you see and match it to the other objects. You might say, “I think I can see another teddy. Would you like to put the teddies together?”
- If your toddler is interested in knowing what else is in the bag, carry on for as long as they are engaged.
- When your toddler is familiar with the structure of this game, give them the bag and let them pick out the items and put them in pairs independently.
- Your toddler may create a connection that you hadn't necessarily intended, such as matching a red car to a red sock, so never tell them they are wrong but ask why they chose to make a match if you can’t see the logic right away.