Executive function
Toddlers watch a caregiver focus on and remember the hiding place of a galloping toy horse.
Be Prepared: The boxes should be large enough for the toy horse to fit into standing up and should not be transparent. Small cardboard boxes work well. In this activity, the opening of the boxes will be on the floor, so the horse cannot be seen when inside a box.
[Invite several toddlers to watch a hiding game. Show and point to the toy horse and boxes when you describe them.]
We need to watch our toy horse. Our horse likes to gallop around and then hide! Our horse likes to hide in these boxes. The boxes are pretend barns.
Let’s watch the horse gallop around and hide in a barn. Do you think we can remember which barn the horse hides in?
[Place the two barns next to each other in front of the toddlers.
Gallop the horse on the floor for a few seconds, always in front of the toddlers. While the toddlers are watching, have the horse gallop into (under) one of the boxes but pretend to be distracted, looking elsewhere.]
The horse galloped into a barn. The horse is hiding!
Oh no! I did not watch carefully. I do not know which barn the horse went into!
[Look in (under) the empty barn and have fun pretending you did not pay attention to where the horse galloped. Show excitement when you find the horse in the other barn!]
Our horse wants to gallop around and hide again! This time I am going to watch closely and try to remember where our horse goes.
[Gallop the horse on the floor, always in full view of the toddlers. Gallop the horse into (under) the previously empty barn.]
The horse galloped into a barn. It is hiding from us again! Did you watch the horse?
This time I watched the horse carefully. I remember where our horse is hiding!
[Look under the correct barn. Show excitement when you find the horse!]
I watched where the horse galloped. I remembered which barn the horse went into. I found the horse!
Should the horse gallop around and hide again?
[Repeat if toddlers appear interested.]
We watched our horse gallop around and then hide. I did not watch carefully the first time the horse galloped around. I did not know where the horse was hiding! I watched the horse carefully the next time the horse galloped around. I remembered where our horse was hiding! I found our horse!
Executive function
A toddler practices watching a galloping toy horse and remembering its hiding place.
Be Prepared: The boxes should be large enough for the toy horse to fit into standing up and should not be transparent. Small cardboard boxes work well. In this activity, the opening of the box will be on the floor, so the horse cannot be seen when inside a box.
Invite a toddler to play a game of watching a galloping toy horse and remembering where the horse hides. Introduce the horse and two boxes that represent barns. Explain that the horse likes to gallop and then hide in one of the pretend barns. We can watch the horse carefully and remember where the horse hides. We can find the horse hiding in a barn because we watch and remember.
Place the two barns in a row in front of the toddler. Remind the toddler to use his/her eyes to watch the horse. As the toddler is watching, gallop the horse around the floor and then into one of the barns. Ask the toddler whether he/ she remembers where the horse is hiding. Invite the toddler to look under the barn where he/she thinks the horse is hiding. Express excitement when the toddler finds the horse. Describe the toddler’s actions. Example: “You watched the horse carefully with your eyes. You remembered which barn the horse went into. You found the horse!”
If the toddler appears to be guessing or is unsure which barn to look under, explain that our horse will go galloping and hide again. We can work hard to watch and remember where the horse is hiding. Offer a second round of galloping and hiding, again with two barns. Remind the toddler to watch the horse closely. Use slower actions with the horse.
If the toddler readily identifies the horse in the first round (by watching and remembering, not guessing), offer a second round with three barns in front of the toddler. Explain that we will need to work harder to watch and remember because this time there are three different barns where our horse may hide. Repeat the galloping and hiding actions, always in full view of the toddler. Recognize the toddler’s efforts to watch and remember.
Although Option 1 is designed as an informal gathering, it can be offered in a one-to-one setting for a toddler who would benefit from individualized experiences with focusing and remembering skills. The Option 1 goal of introducing the concepts of watching and remembering may not be fully needed for toddlers who show good progress in developing these self-regulation skills. You may wish to offer the first segment of Option 1 as a reminder and then move directly into Option 2.
As noted in earlier descriptions of similar activities, avoid allowing an activity to become a guessing game. Guessing undermines the importance of watching and remembering. If a toddler does not select the correct barn in an early round of the game, do not prolong the search by suggesting the toddler “make another guess.” Instead, lift the correct barn to reveal the toy horse and offer another round.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: toy horse and other animals that occupy barns, 3 small boxes as pretend barns
Invite several toddlers to play in the block area with the toy animals and pretend barns. Encourage toddlers to hide the animals in the pretend barns and build new barns out of blocks for the toy animals to hide in. Can toddlers remember where their animals are hiding? Toddlers may want their animals to move from one barn to another or share a barn.
Materials Needed: toy farm animals, blocks, Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Preschool-age children may enjoy joining toddlers in an adaptation of the Interest Area activity. Read Big Red Barn with children and then invite them to make barns from the blocks and help the toy animals go to sleep in different barns. Infants may enjoy holding and exploring an age-appropriate toy animal during the book sharing.
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