Discovery Boxes

Discovery boxes are ideas for ways to incorporate heuristic play into your day with your toddler or older baby. I decided to make these after making the treasure baskets for baby, as a fun thing to do with big sister. She loves them.

For more about heuristic play read here.The boxes are filled with everyday, found or recycled objects that are related to a particular theme, eg rolling, stacking, measuring, ordering, sorting etc. What happens with the objects is up to the child, not the adult and the activity is completely open-ended. The role of the adult is to sit back and watch, facilitating if the child wants it, maybe adding a few suggestions and finding ways to extend the child's thinking even further. These are easy to put together and take apart again and give really good opportunities for meaningful play time together.

In an early years setting these could be stored by theme or material in little baskets in shelves, labelled on the outside with a photo and text. Children could help themselves as and when they want to have some fun!



Here are the Discovery Boxes that we have done so far:

Discovery Box 1: Rolling and Stacking

Discovery Box 2: Ramps and Chutes

Discovery Box 3: Straws

Discovery Box 4: Ribbons and Material

Discovery Box 5: Pouring and Scooping

Discovery Box 6: Pipe Cleaners

Discovery Box 7: Pebbles

Discovery Box 8: Egg Cartons

Discovery Box 9: Plastic Eggs

Discovery Box 10: Tubes, Tape and Beans

Discovery Box 11: Pine Cones

Discovery Box 12: Coloured Stacking Cups

Discovery Box 13: Magnetism!

Mini Discovery Boxes for Open Ended Play