Recommended Age: 3.5y+
Level of Parent Involvement: Medium
Prerequisites
- The vocabulary to describe what objects feel like
Materials
- A medium-sized drawstring bag
- A container with a collection of 5 to 8 familiar objects in it. Initially, try to choose objects that are easily discernible by touch. (E.g. a rock, thimble, key, pinecone, piece of rope, feather, wool, peach pit, small pot, doll’s hat, brush, bottle, purse, spoon, button, ring, etc.)
Steps
- Show the child how to open and close the drawstring bag and tell her that it is called the Mystery Bag.
- Taking one object at a time from the container, show it to the child and let her feel it. Name the object and place it in the bag. Repeat for all the objects.
- Partially close the bag, leaving it open enough for you to be able to get your hand inside.
- Put your hand inside the bag without looking at the contents.
- Tell the child that you have found one of the objects and that you are going to work out what it is by feeling it with your fingers instead of by looking at it with your eyes.
- Describe what you can feel and model excitement when you have identified the object. (E.g. “It feels cold, round, hard and rough. I know, it is a rock!”)
- Remove the object from the bag and confirm that you have identified it correctly. Place it in the container.
- Repeat the process with one more object and then invite the child to have a turn.
Variations
- Instead of a drawstring bag, use a basket covered with a tea towel or cut hand-sized holes in either end of an old shoebox (the child can decorate the shoebox to make it special).
- Rotate the objects to maintain the child’s interest – the child could help to look for objects to explore.
- Older children can make a ‘Mystery Bag Book of Objects’ by drawing the objects on small pieces of paper and stapling the pieces together.
