In and Out
The object goes into the box, the object comes out of the box: the first idea of space.
In and Out is a Montessori activity for a child aged 12 to 18 months. Area: Early Math. Time: 5-10 min.
What the activity builds
Understand in and out through the motion itself, before naming them.
The materials
- A box or basket with a wide opening
- Three or four familiar objects, fairly big
- A rug
How to do it, step by step
- Set the box and the objects on the rug, in front of them.
- Pick up an object, say "in" as you set it in the box, just once.
- Take it back out saying "out," then set it back on the rug.
- Let them do it, without correcting or narrating every motion.
- Bring back the two words only at the exact moment they do the motion.
The parent's role
Show once, then step back. Two words, no more, always at the moment of the motion. These two ideas of space are more abstract than they look: they're built through dozens of repetitions, never through explanation.
Safety
Objects bigger than a toilet paper tube, a box with no hinged lid that pinches, and no plastic bag. A child may try to climb into a big box themselves: choose a small one.
You remain the sole judge of what is right for your child. These activities are offered for educational and recreational purposes: they do not replace medical advice or the guidance of an early childhood professional.
Ways to adapt the activity
- Easier: one object and one box.
- Harder: two boxes, and they choose which to use.
- Extension: putting blocks away, and taking out only the one they want.
Up next
More activities for a 12 to 18 months child.
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