Rescue the Ball from the Sock

1. 1

   Hide a favorite small toy, such as a ball-pit ball, inside a sock and invite your baby to find it.

2. 2

   Your baby may squeeze, pick at, or shake the bulging sock.

3. 3

   Give them time to explore how the ball might come out.

4. 4

   If several attempts do not work, point out the sock opening, then let your baby continue.

5. 5

   After the ball comes out, hide it again and offer another turn. Watch whether your baby uses the opening they found before.

6. 6

   When they succeed, name the strategy: “You found the opening and got the ball out!”

What to notice

• Tries several ways to get the ball out of the sock Reasoning and Problem-Solving
• Copies how you pull open the mouth of the sock Imitation and Symbolic Representation and Play

Tips

• After your child succeeds, try a thicker or slightly smaller sock and see whether they reuse the same strategy with the new challenge.

Developmental benefits

• Cognitive: Trying and adjusting different actions to remove a ball from a sock gives your child experience solving a simple physical problem.