Here’s a game that’s sure to make your baby giggle, but little will he or she realize there are valuable skills being taught, too! The game covers everything from the concepts of in and out to the fine motor skills needed for retrieving an object.

I placed a plastic beach bucket in front of Veronika, and gathered up a few soft toys.

For each one, I dangled it over the bucket, making sure she saw it first.

Then I dropped it into the bucket with a big grin and an “oopsy!” This got giggles of course!

Once the bucket was filled, I encouraged her to pull the items out again.

This proved to be tricky because she was way more interested in the bucket (a novelty!) than the toys she already knows.

But we did have a few successful pickups. The apple goes in…

…and comes out!

This is definitely a game I’d play again; I love simple activities like this that make me pay careful attention to her skills and really zero in on her development, even for a short period, during an otherwise hectic day.