The Treasure Basket

This article is also available in Italian.

For younger children who have just started to look around, but also for children up to two years, is very interesting the Treasure Basket, as it is called by Elinor Goldschmied.

This game helps develop the ability to make decisions and for this reason the adult should not intervene; but the presence of the adult is necessary and reassuring.

Often, when children can sit, they complain because they are bored. So with the treasure basket they have at hand a lot of curious and interesting things to observe. As we will see the list at the bottom, there are items that stimulate all senses of the child, with textures, weights and shapes differents, variety of scents, sounds, color, luster different.

The following are the indications that necessary for this game.

The size of the basket should not be less than 35 cm in diameter and 10-12,5 cm in height. Must have a flat bottom, be without handles and strong enough so that the child can lean without capsizing. It should have straight sides and be of natural material, not plastic.

Fill it to the edge of different objects, so that the child has the opportunity to choose what most appeals to him.

Make sure your child is sitting well, if he still fails, help him with pillows so that he does not slip sideways.

The adult should sit close but not to intervene unless the child does not require his attention.

The ideal thing is to change the contents of the basket every day so that attracts more the child.

Check to include articles not dangerous to the child, which can be washed and if they are damaged it is better to replace them.

Be careful if you have older kids! Protect little ones from interventions, sometimes impetuous, of the bigger ones.

The objects to be used, not to buy, but should be objects of common use used by adults at home, made from many different materials, but not plastic.

This is a suggestion of the objects that we can use:

1. Cones of trees

2. Large pebbles
3. Shell
4. Small pumpkins
5. Big chestnut
6. Large feathers
7. Pumice stone
8. Large corks
9. Avocado pits
10. Big nuts
11. Small natural sponge
12. Lemon
13. Apple
14. Wollen ball
15. Small baskets
16. Bone ring
17. Bone shoe horn
18. Small raffia mat
19. Cork trivet
20. Wooden nail brush
21. Toothbrush
22. Shaving brush
23. Brush shoes
24. House painting brush
25. Bag handles bamboo
26. Makeup brush
27. Boxes lined with velvet
28. Wooden drum
29. Rattles of various types
30. Bamboo whistle
31. Castanets unpainted
32. Wooden clothes pegs
33. Large colored beads on string
34. Wooden cubes
35. Spool
36. Big ring curtains, unpainted, wood and brass
37. Wooden napkin ring
38. Wooden spoon, and metal spoons of various sizes
39. Wood and metal egg cup
40. Small wooden bowl
41. Small egg whisk
42. Bunch of keys
43. Metal box with rounded corners
44. Small metal ashtray
45. Toy trumpet
46. Cake molds
47. Metal juicer
48. Spool typewriter
49. Small metal funnel
50. Small harmonic
51. Garlic squeezer
52. Scout whistle
53. Bottle brush
54. Small metal frame mirror
55. Bulldog paper clip
56. keyring linked together
57. Bunch of bells
58. Triangle for music
59. Tin sealed containing rice, beans, etc..
60. Tea strainer
61. Tin lid
62. Metal beaker
63. Pieces of various types of chain
64. Bicycle bell
65. Large cap bottle of perfume
66. Tea infuser
67. Pet collar
68. Leather purse, beaded purse
69. Small leather bag with zip
70. Rubber ball
71. Velvet duvet, powder
72. Fur ball
73. Lenght of rubber tubing
74. Small rag doll
75. Tennis ball
76. Golf ball
77. Leather spectacle case
78. Bath plug with chain
79. Small teddy bear
80. Small bags filled with lavender, thyme, cloves, etc..
81. Small notebook with spiral rings
82. Greaseproof paper
83. Cardboard boxes
84. Inside of kitchen-paper rolls

If you watch the video above, you will have a clearer idea of what to expect.