Cognitive2½–4 yrsAt home

What's missing?

Five objects, one thief, endless rounds.

Prep

2 min

Mess

None

How to play

Lay the objects out and name them together. Cover the tray, secretly remove one, uncover it. Which one went? Swap roles and let him steal one from you.

  1. a cup, ball, block and spoon on a wooden tray
    1

    Lay four or five objects on the tray and name them together.

  2. a cloth covering the tray, a hand lifting one corner
    2

    Cover the tray with a cloth, then secretly slip one object away.

  3. the tray uncovered with one object gone, an empty space left behind
    3

    Uncover it — which one is missing?

What you need

A tray, a tea towel, and four or five everyday objects.

What it secretly builds

Cognitive

Noticing what changed is attention to detail — the same scanning skill that later lets him spot the difference between a 'b' and a 'd'.

Spin again