When everyone’s patience has worn thin, or for a special treat, let the child pull out ‘the treasure box’. Part of the allure of the treasure box is that it doesn’t come out very often. Its other appeal is that it’s filled with mysterious, quirky things that belong nowhere else. These are small things, things to be investigated and talked through, things that fire the imagination.
The first thing is to find an interesting box. An old confectionery tin is perfect, or you might like to decoupage a shoe box, finishing it with braid and tassels so it looks as if treasure might be found there. Now to find items worthy of a treasure box. You have things around the house already – odd things, broken bits, souvenirs, left-over things, bits of things. Things that twist or turn are especially interesting. The contents will grow over time as you keep an eye out for ‘treasure’. Finally, the box must reside somewhere slightly inaccessible: on top of a wardrobe, under a bed, at the back of a pantry. Ours is behind glass in the ‘library’. What do you call your box? The Odd Box? Mystery Box? The Emporium? Maybe you have multiple boxes; we also have one for Feather Treasure.
Our box has a large, red dice, two tiny dolls, a broken doll hand, an earring, an old playing card, a shilling, a wax stamp, a metal thing for hooking stones out of horses’ hoofs, a metal Ipana toothpaste tube, rolled from the bottom the way we did in the 1980s, and a beautiful key. Every item has a story and is an opportunity to spend quality time with a child. Treasure indeed!
how to play with kids 