In and out of containers

Why do it?

This activity provides an opportunity for baby and whānau to share attention.
Baby can reach, grasp, turn, mouth, shake, bang and look at all sides of an object, exploring and exercising their curiosity.
Whānau can model how to explore an object and follow baby’s lead when they’re exploring something.
Whānau can use parallel talk to describe what baby’s doing — this builds their ‘receptive’ language (language understanding).
Whānau can use self-talk to describe what they’re doing — this also helps build baby’s receptive language.

Find 2–3 different sized containers (for example, plastic, cardboard and metal).
Find a similar number of small, safe objects that will fit in the containers (for example, a block, spoon, small ball, little book, toy car, rattle).
Give a container and an object to baby, and keep a container and object yourself.
Model putting the object in and taking it out.
Encourage baby to copy you.
Give the words to baby — ‘The rattle is in the box. The rattle is out the box.’
Play ‘in and out’ until baby has had enough.

Te reo Māori	English
Mātaki	Watch, observe
Māhirahira	Curious
Torohē	To examine, explore
Pepamārō	Cardboard
Konganuku	Metal
Kirihou	Plastic
Ngā Ipu	Containers
Rarau	Grasp
Rūrūtia	To shake
Pouaka	Box
Pākete	Bucket
Pune	Spoon
Paoro	Ball
Motukā Iti	Little car
Ngā rākau	Blocks
Titiro mai, e te tau	Look here, my darling
Kei roto	In
Kei roto i te pouaka	Inside the box
Kei roto i te pouaka te pune	The spoon is inside the box
Kei waho	Out
Kei waho i te pākete	Outside the bucket
Kei waho i te pākete te motukā iti	The little car is outside of the bucket
Kimihia	Look for, search
Rite tonu, ōrite	Same
Rerekē	Different