Emergency Toy Box

Children get bored just like adults do from using the same toys day in and day out. Keep things interesting by creating a special toy box to use in emergencies!

Fill the box (use a standard storage cube or even a decorated shoe box) with things that your child loves to play with, the more exciting the better. Bring out the box on a rainy day or when your child needs just that little bit extra. If you want to be really creative, make two boxes and rotate them for hours of investigation and interest.

All items listed are designed to be things that you would find around your house. This month we have listed ways for you to use the objects you might find in your Emergency Toy Box.

Some examples to include are:

• Long, exotic beads - your child can use these with items from your Dress Up Box. Pretend you are a lady getting ready for high tea, or use them as horses reigns for a fast gallop. Perhaps you are Rope-Climbing Circus Performer?
• A beautiful scarf - wave your scarf in a parade, use it as a bandage for an injured Teddy, or simply talk about the texture, design and colour.
• A Christmas ornament - discuss past Christmases, what was the best Christmas ever? Share your Christmas experiences with your child. Perhaps you might try to make your own together for this coming Christmas.
• An interesting picture or small photo album - find the newest photo, the oldest photo, the picture with the most number of people in it, count how many photos have people wearing red in them.
• A pair of old glasses (lenses removed) - try to imagine who might have worn these glasses. Perhaps a spy on a secret mission, or a person writing children's books?
• A bottle of bubble mixture - watch the bubbles fall to the ground, count how many are blown each time, are they big or small, many or few?
• Hand puppets - host a puppet show and your child is the star!
• An interesting or challenging puzzle - talk about strategies to complete the puzzle. Match the colours together to find pieces that fit, or look for a pattern in the picture.
• A special book - reading together is a great way to settle a tired or distressed child. Enjoy the closeness that reading together brings.
• Bus or train tickets or an old security pass - pretend you are going to the beach on the bus, or leaving for a train holiday. You may be a worker on their way to the office.
• Old keys on an interesting key ring - where will these keys take you? Are they keys to a taxi, bus or even an aeroplane?
• A small Kaleidoscope - talk about the shapes that are made, the way the colours interact, or how the designs make you feel. Perhaps your Kaleidoscope looks into other worlds or planets!
• A Rubik's Cube or other 3-D puzzle - how many colours are there on the cube? How can you complete the puzzle?
• Your old calculator - use this for dramatic play in any situation such as a Shop, Restaurant, Doctors Surgery, or Petrol Station.
• A set of stacking boxes or toys - make a tower, or line up the boxes and place a toy in each to fit.
• The 'Snow-Globe' from a holiday - discuss where the Snow Globe may have come from, or how it was made. Are there people living in your Snow Globe? Perhaps there is a whole world inside!
• A Harmonica - talk about high notes, low notes and in between notes. What kind of people would play a Harmonica? Would you find one in a band or at a concert?
• The remote control from an old stereo - this could be a device for travelling back in time, or a way to stop the birds flying in the sky. Perhaps it makes the cat move!
• The keyboard from your last computer (cord removed for safety) - use this for a Dramatic Play scenario. You might be a Web Master, booking a holiday, or doing the groceries.
• A telephone and handset (cord removed for safety) - take turns in pretending to call family and friends. Discuss what you would say to different people on the phone and how you would answer the phone if it rang. Great if you have a Preschooler who likes to answer the phone with 'Yep'.
• A pair of head phones (wireless) - these could be a way to contact trees or animals. Perhaps they are the listening devise for a Submarine Captain!

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