This simple game is pure delight for a toddler! I put Veronika in her crib, which startled her momentarily since it’s not a place she normally plays. Surprise turned to excitement when I added all her stuffed animal friends.

I placed a basket below the crib (a laundry basket would be perfect, or any old storage box like the one I had on hand), and then showed her how drop in a stuffed animal. “One, two, three, whee!” I counted. The first animal jumped in.

Well she had to see what this was all about!

She was eager to copy me, parroting my words and holding an animal over the railing. Sometimes she didn’t realize she needed to let go with those little fists; there’s a cognitive step of cause-and-effect here that’s great for motor skill development.

Here goes reindeer!

Once the basket was full, we tossed the animals back in the crib…

…and played again.

She was happy to play so many rounds of this game.

Or sometimes to pause for a hug.

Just for the heck of it, we extended the stuffed animal play with a dry animal bath tub!

This oldie-but-goodie never grows old. Simply throw all the stuffed animals in for a soft landing and add one toddler.