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• 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.

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