With a large cardboard box in the house today, it was the perfect opportunity to play a variation on hide-and-seek. This time, Veronika’s toy was the hider, and she (the seeker) got to be the keeper.

I placed a favorite toy (a big stuffed puppy named Marshmallow) in the box, and asked her, “Where’s Marshmallow?”

To make the search exciting, I draped a blanket over the opening and handed Veronika a flashlight. The flashlight was novel, so of course she had to check that out for a while.

Then the hunt began! I asked questions as she got closer. “Is Marshmallow behind the box? Is he on top of the box? Is he inside the box?”

She’s getting closer…

There he is! She was so pleased once she found her friend. Finder’s keepers!

Of course then your toddler will probably want to play in the cave for a while.

It was even more fun to shine the flashlight on the walls inside where it was darker! Next time maybe we’ll play this game after dark.