
In and out of containers Activity
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.
How to do it
- 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.
Using more te reo Māori
Mātaki | Watch, observe |
Māhirahira | Curious |
Torohē | To examine, explore |
Pepamārō | Cardboard |
Konganuku | Metal |
Kirihou | Plastic |
Paepae | Container |
Rarautia | Grasp |
Rūrūtia | To shake |
Pouaka | Box |
Pākete | Bucket |
Koko | Spoon |
Paoro, pōro | Ball |
Motokā iti | Little car |
Rākau | Block |
Titiro mai, e te tau | Look here, my darling |
Kei roto | Inside |
Kei roto i te pouaka | Inside the box |
Kei roto i te pouaka te koko | The spoon is inside the box |
Kei waho | Outside |
Kei waho i te pākete | Outside the bucket |
Kei waho i te pākete te motokā iti | The little car is outside of the bucket |
Kimihia | Look for, search |
Rite tonu, ōrite | Same |
Rerekē | Different |