Alliance early years development manager Alison Heseltine shares suggestions for creating treasure baskets that stimulate the senses and curiosity
For many families, baby and toddler groups are a key part of supporting young children to learn and develop as they discover the world around them. At a local community-based group, they can not only meet with others but also benefit from the play opportunities on offer.
Many groups have a wide range of brightly-coloured plastic toys, but sometimes the learning opportunities that this type of toy presents can be limited. Treasure baskets, which are a collection of many natural everyday objects, give a fabulous opportunity for babies from around six months to use their senses to explore a range of learning experiences.
Treasure basket play empowers babies to make choices that gives them a degree of control over their play and investigations. The idea may be unfamiliar to some of your volunteers and families, but they were originally developed nearly 40 years ago by Elinor Goldschmied.
Stimulating the senses
Babies explore the world using their senses (sight, sound, texture, taste and smell) and the contents of a treasure basket are designed to stimulate these senses – for example, by giving babies the chance to touch objects, bang them together to see what sort of noise they make and drop them to see what happens as they move.
With the right support, their natural curiosity will mean that they can concentrate for extended periods of time as they interact with the basket contents. When using a treasure basket, the role of the adult is to be there to provide reassurance and responsive attention but not to direct the play. The baby is given the independence to choose and explore as they wish, but a reassuring smile or gesture can help to boost their confidence to do so.
Benefits of treasure basket play for babies
- Develops concentration skills
- Teaches them to make choices
- Develops fine motor skills
- Develops hand-eye coordination
- Develops confidence and self-esteem
- Stimulates all the senses
Choosing the treasure
Ideas for items for a treasure basket (many of which are low- or no-cost, and can be recycled from objects in the natural environment or found in families homes):
- Natural objects: fir cones, big shells, pumice stones, feathers
- Wooden: egg cups, spoons, pegs, napkin rings, wooden spoon, pinch bowl
- Metal: spoons, colanders, jar lids, tea strainers
- Textures: wash cloths, scourers, brushes, shower loofah, small baskets, fabrics
- Everyday items: whisks, measuring cups, pastry brush, small boxes
Top safety tips
Use a sturdy basket that has a flat bottom. It needs to be stable so if a little one pushes on the sides the basket doesn’t tip up over them.
A treasure basket can have lots of different objects in it. It is essential that none of them have sharp edges and are not small enough to be swallowed as many babies will put things in their mouths as part of their sensory explorations. Check for any brushes for loose bristles and wooden objects for splinters, too.
Check the basket regularly to make sure any items that aren’t safe are removed or replaced and get your families involved in doing this too.Make sure that all the contents can be washed/wiped clean or thrown away at the end of the session.
Make sure that babies are comfortable with space around them and that an adult is always there with them – a baby should never be unsupervised with a treasure basket.
The Alliance Baby and Toddler Toolkit helps group leaders reflect on the service they offer to families, including ways to extend an inclusive and welcoming environment for all alongside building connections to other community resources.If you would like to know more, please visit: .