Treasure basket

Why do it?

Towards the end of this time in baby’s development, they can sit up with some support — say between their parent’s legs — freeing both their hands for exploring objects.
This is a perfect time for sharing attention with baby, which strengthens the relationship between them and whānau.
Baby is now able to choose something from the treasure box for themselves.
Baby will hear the words that match their actions and what they’re focusing on, building their understanding of language.

Sitting between a grownup’s legs is ideal for doing this activity.
Get a container (bowl, box, pottle, basket, rourou) and put 2–3 objects in it (for example, a little ball, something safe from a kitchen drawer and something natural).
Let baby explore in their own way. Use parallel talk to describe what baby’s looking at and what they’re doing — for example, ‘Ball, you’ve got the ball!’ and ‘Spoon, you’re banging the spoon!’
Baby will notice the tone of voice grownups use when talking about the basket of ‘treasures’, and from that will decide how interesting the items are.
Parents can take their cue from baby about when they’re ready for new objects to explore, and then change the objects for new ones.