Some of the best activities for this age are barely activities at all. A small flip-lid bin and a box of wooden blocks is one of them. A toddler drops a block in, the lid swings shut and the block vanishes, and that little disappearing act is endlessly satisfying. It is posting practice, cause-and-effect, and a first lesson in object permanence, all dressed up as a game. Ages 1 to 2.
What you need
- A small flip-lid bin. A mini swing-top trash can is perfect, and a clean one straight out of the packet is ideal.
- A set of wooden blocks, or any small toys that fit easily through the lid.
That is it. Set the bin down, tip the blocks out beside it, and let a toddler take it from there.
How it plays
Most toddlers need no demonstration at all. They push a block against the swing lid, it tips inward, the block drops out of sight, and the lid settles back. The first time it happens the reaction is usually pure surprise, often followed by peering into the bin to see where the block went, and then doing it all over again. That hunt for the vanished block is object permanence in action, the dawning idea that things still exist even when you cannot see them.
Lining a block up against the lid and giving it the right push is good hand-eye coordination and a workout for those small hand muscles, and the swing lid adds a bit of useful resistance compared with simply dropping a block into an open box.
When every block is in, lift the lid off and tip them out for a satisfying clatter, and the whole thing starts again. Once it gets too easy, swap the blocks for something smaller or trickier to post, and the same little bin keeps the challenge going.
For more of the same kind of play, our cotton swab posting works the pincer grip through a colander, and our CD stacking builds hand control with another household odd-and-end.