Executive function
A young infant is encouraged to persist in removing toys from a box.
Be Prepared: This activity is for an infant who can reach for and grasp small toys from a box. Place in a box five different small toys that will appeal to the infant. One possibility is Excellerations® Sensory Surprise Box with 5 Shapes.
[Place next to you an infant who can sit independently or with support. Ensure the infant can clearly see you. Smile and make eye contact with the infant.]
[Hold up the box of toys.]
There are toys in our box. Look at this neat toy!
[Remove one toy from the box, show it to the infant, and return it to the box.]
You can reach into our box. You can find some fun toys in our box.
[Encourage the infant to remove toys from the box.
Communicate excitement when the infant removes a toy. Describe the infant’s actions and say the name of the toy. Example: “You found a ball! You reached into the box. You pulled a ball out of the box.”
Recognize the infant’s reactions to toys removed from the box. Example: “You are smiling! You are having fun finding toys in the box.”]
[Smile and make eye contact with the infant as you briefly describe what happened. Example: “You reached inside the box. You worked hard to take toys out of the box. You had fun playing with the ball.”]
Executive function
An older infant is encouraged to persist in scooting, crawling, or walking to get a box of toys and to remove toys from the box.
Be Prepared: This activity is for a mobile infant. Place in a box five different small toys that will appeal to the infant. One possibility is Excellerations® Sensory Surprise Box with 5 Shapes.
Sit or kneel several feet from a mobile infant. Softly call the infant’s name and hold up the box of toys. Explain there are fun toys inside the box. Remove one toy from the box, say the name of the toy, and hold it steady for the infant to see. Return the toy to the box. Remind the infant there are other toys in the box.
Keep the box on the floor near you and within full view of the infant. Invite the infant to move toward you to get the box. Encourage the infant as he/she moves toward the box. Examples: “You are coming to get our box of toys!” “You are almost here!”
When the infant reaches the box, invite him/her to take the toys out of the box. Describe the infant’s actions and say the names of toys removed from the box. Examples: “You are looking inside our box. You are smiling.” “You pulled a red ball from our box.”
Enthusiastically acknowledge the infant’s persistence in reaching the box and taking toys from the box. Example: “You crawled to get the box of toys. You looked at all of the toys inside the box. You pulled out a ball and a ring to play with.”
Removing objects from containers is generally enjoyable to infants and is a part of other ELM activity plans. The current activity emphasizes persistence in removing items (Options 1 and 2) and in getting the box (Option 2).
Infants are likely to differ in how they approach the task of removing toys from the box. Some infants may prefer to remove only toys of interest. If this occurs, offer gentle encouragement to remove all toys from the box, but positively accept an infant’s decision to leave some toys in the box. If an infant dumps the box of toys on the floor, encourage him/her to make a line or small group of the toys by moving each with his/her hand or arm. Name each toy the infant moves.
See the Extra Support tips for ways to encourage the infant to remove toys, especially if there are distractions from the task. In some circumstances, you may wish to become a partner with the infant in looking at and maybe removing some toys. Examples: “Let’s look in the box together. I see a ball! Do you want to reach in and get the ball?” “Look, I pulled this ball from our box. What would you like to pull from our box?”
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: medium-sized, open cardboard box; assortment of familiar, small toys
Extend the activity options by placing several familiar toys in a cardboard box. During floor time, invite one or several infants to look into the box. Encourage the infants to reach inside and pull out toys of their choice. Describe the infants’ actions as they explore the toys. Some infants may enjoy putting the toys back in the box. Talk with infants about their discoveries.
Materials Needed: variety of toys in baskets, bins, or boxes
Invite older infants and toddlers to practice dumping and filling containers with a variety of toys. Older children can dump toys to play with and then return toys to the container when they are done. Describe children’s actions and encourage children to look at what their peers are doing.
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