Surprise Sounds
Here's What To Do
Gather materials: an opaque cup or box with a lid, small objects that fit inside. When your baby's not looking, put one object in the container and put the lid on.
Shake the container so your baby can hear and see it. Roll the container on the floor and allow your child to play with it.
Ask, pause, and answer your own questions about what could be inside. Take the lid off and show your baby what was making the noise. Let them explore and interact with the object.
Repeat with different objects.
Put PEER Into Action
Pause:
- Sit on the floor and place your baby on your lap.
Engage:
- Talk about the sounds you hear: "I'm hearing loud sounds, so I think whatever's inside must be hard."
- Ask: "What's inside? Hmmm… you hear that sound too, what could it be? Let's see.. It was mama's jingly keys!"
Encourage:
- Respond to your baby's actions: "Oh, you're pointing to the container? Are you wondering what's inside and making all that noise?"
- Build on your baby's babbling: "Ba ba ba...you're right, there was a ball in there!"
Reflect:
- Tell your baby what you liked best about your time together.
Not quite ready?
Show your baby the object before you put it in the container instead of keeping it a surprise.
Ready for more?
Play other games with the objects and containers. Play hide and seek by covering objects and having your baby find them; experiment with watching different objects fall when you drop them.
As your child masters this skill...
They will begin to learn what kinds of objects make what kinds of sounds.