Container Play

Container play is a fundamental developmental milestone that involves two simple actions: first taking objects out of a container, and then putting them back in. While it looks like simple repetition, this play pattern builds the foundation for crucial life skills. It helps your child practice their physical grasp and release coordination. It is also the very beginning of learning how to clean up, match shapes in a shape sorter, and place pieces into a puzzle.

Easy Ways to Practice During Daily Routines

Bath Time

Provide empty plastic bottles, bowls, cups, colanders, spoons, and ladles. Encourage your child to experiment with filling them up and pouring the water back out.

Diapering & Dressing

Turn daily chores into a game. Have your child help by dropping dirty clothes into the hamper, tossing wet diapers into the trash can, or placing clean clothes into a drawer.

Household Activities

Build the habit of tidying up early. At the end of an activity or at the end of the day, invite your child to help put items back into their bins, boxes, or baskets.

Meal Time

Give your child small, safe containers alongside their meal. Let them practice picking up small bits of cereal or other finger foods and dropping them into the containers.

At home Activities

Pretend Mail Box

Cut a few slots or holes into the top of any cardboard box. Use playing cards, jar lids, or large plastic poker chips as the "mail." Have your kid"post" the cards or lids through the slots into the box. When they are all inside, open the lid together, celebrate, dump them out, and start again.

Egg Carton Activity

Use an empty, clean cardboard egg carton and large craft pom-poms. Show your child how to place one item into each egg cradle. This adds an extra layer of spatial awareness as they try to fit one object per slot, followed by the satisfying "plop" of taking them all out

Toy rescue

Use a standard 6- or 12-cup muffin tin, small toys (like plastic animals or chunky blocks), and painter's tape or masking tape.
Place a small toy into each muffin cup. Rip pieces of tape and cross them over the top of each cup to "trap" the toys. Your toddler will have to use their fine motor skills to peel the tape off, rescue the toy, and drop it into a separate big bowl.

Coin into the jar

Use an empty, clean plastic coffee can (or oatmeal container) with a plastic lid, and large plastic poker chips or jar lids.
Carefully cut a single slot into the plastic lid that is just wide enough for the discs to slide through. Your toddler will love the deliberate precision of lining up the disc and pushing it through, followed by the loud, satisfying "clunk" sound it makes when it hits the bottom.

Ribbon Tug Box

What to use: A small cardboard box (like a shoe box) and scraps of colorful ribbon or yarn.

What to do: Poke several small holes on opposite sides of the box. Thread a piece of ribbon through two holes and tie large knots on both outer ends so the ribbon can't be pulled completely out. Your toddler can spend time pulling the ribbon from one side of the box container until it stops, then turning the box around to pull it back from the other side.

Water Bottle Pom-Pom Stuffing

What to use: An empty, dry, clear plastic water bottle or sports drink bottle (broad necks work best to start), and colorful craft pom-poms.

What to do: Have your child practice pinching the fluffy pom-poms and pushing them down into the narrow neck of the bottle. Because the bottle is clear, they get immediate visual feedback watching the container fill up with colors. When they are done, show them how to tip it upside down and shake them all out!

Fabric Scrap Treasure Box

What to use: An empty wipe container or a small cardboard box with a lid, and various safe fabric scraps (velvet, corduroy, cotton, fleece).
What to do: Place all the fabric scraps inside the container. Toddlers love reaching inside to pull out the different textures one at a time. Once the container is empty, help them bunch the fabrics back up and stuff them through the opening.

Whisk Pom-Pom Pluck

What to use: A standard metal or silicone kitchen wire whisk and large craft pom-poms (or scraps of soft fabric).
What to do: Stuff several colorful pom-poms inside the bulb of the whisk so they are trapped between the wires. Hand it to your toddler and watch them use their fingers to pull, tug, and pinch the pom-poms out through the gaps. Once the whisk container is empty, show them how to push the fluffy balls back through the wires to fill it up again.