If your baby is in a nursery or goes to a childminder, you may one day find them sitting next to a low basket filled with household items and some odds and ends. You may also spot that the adults are not chatting to your child, but sitting and watching. If you were to enquire what was happening, you might well be told that treasure basket play is under way. So, what is treasure basket play and how might it help your baby?
A good starting point is to understand that for centuries, babies and young children were not given toys to play with. The best they could hope for were things that were lying on the floor or household objects that might have been passed to them. Toys are a recent invention, and while they undoubtedly have their uses, the roots of treasure basket play are to be found in these earlier times.
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