Looking for a little fun? Build a mystery box for your toddler!
A toddler trying to keep their eyes closed is one of my favorite things. Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens and a two year old trying to close their eyes.
The squinted look. The face they make. Oh, heaven help me – I am a sucker for it all. So when I made a simple mystery box for my 2 year old and then asked her to close her eyes… I don’t know who had more fun with this easy activity: me or her.
A little DIY mystery box in about 2 minutes!
This very UNfancy activity is a piece of cake to make and so much fun to play with.
The purpose of this activity is simple: to let your child explore an object using ONLY their sense of touch. They use that sense to try and guess what the mystery item is.
Different ways to play – all of them fun
You can play this game a couple of different ways.
You can put a BUNCH of items into the Mystery Box. That’s how I first started this game.
I dumped in a bunch of toys into the container and gave my daughter (29 months old) the instructions: “Close your eyes. Reach into the container. Feel for a toy and guess what it is.”
Apparently nothing has every been funnier, because she couldn’t stop laughing. It was tough keeping her eyes closed but that didn’t matter. She was having a ball.
Our second way to play the game is just slightly different.
In this version, I put a single item in the bin for her to feel and guess. For some reason, she kept her eyes closed much better when she was only feeling for a single item. Who knows why!
A few tips for making your own game
I used a wipes container and rinsed it out good. Even ran it through the dishwasher just to be sure it was clean.
I cut open the lid and rounded the edges to make things easy to reach and safe. Worked great!
Materials:
(this list container affiliate links)
So many possibilities with this Mystery Box
A mystery box is a thing of wonder, and it can be adapted in so many ways.
- Focusing on a single letter sound? Put items all that letter in the box (car, cat, crayon, etc). Great for older kids!
- Make this a shaking box by adding object that make a sound.
- Use a blindfold to help keep little eyes shut.
- Have your child put items in for YOU find.
- Use this activity as part of a unit on the 5 senses.
This easy mystery box has been a hit for my daughter and I love it. I love that she can play this alone, with her brother, or with a parent. She’s really great at setting it up on her own. Not quite as great in the closing her eyes department, but she sure is cute about it!
Will you make a mystery box at home?
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