The Preschooler

What’s Missing?

When we have little children, we are often focused on pointing out all of the things in the wonderful world around us.  We tend to draw attention to plants, animals, cars, and trucks, among a large array of other objects.  Our children are bombarded by bright lights, pungent scents, and blaring sounds, and it can often be difficult to draw their attention to small or simple items.  Here is an activity to help you get your child to focus on a few objects while using their concentration skills to determine what’s missing.

Take a cookie sheet and place seven or eight small objects on the tray.  Place the tray in front of your child, and have your child identify each object.  Once all of the items are identified, have your child turn around and close her eyes while you remove one object.  (At first, keep all of the remaining objects in the same place, but later you can move them around for a more challenging game.)  Now tell your child to turn around, open her eyes, and name the item that is missing.

If she doesn’t figure it out right away, you can give her a few clues, but try to give as few hints as possible.  Applaud her efforts, and give her the opportunity to remove an object for you to identify as well.  The next time you play the game, she may even enjoy finding objects to place on the tray.

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Written by BRWI Staff on May 4, 2011