Endless Pulling Box
Scarves out of a box, one after another. Babies find this genuinely astonishing.
- Ages
- 7 mo–2 yrs
- Play
- 5–20 min
- Prep
- 5 min
- Mess
- barely any
- Energy
- calm
- Where
- on the floor
You’ll need
Things you probably have at home.
- a box or tub with a small opening
- scarves or fabric strips
Optional
- scissors (adult use)Don’t have it? Amazon
How to play
Before you start: Cut a hole in the lid of a box, about the size of a mug rim. Knot six fabric strips loosely end to end and feed them in, leaving one corner poking out.
Show them the corner and give it a small tug so it moves.
Let them pull. It keeps coming, and keeps coming.
When the last one is out, stuff them back in together — pushing in is much harder than pulling out and is the real skill.
Hide a favorite toy under the fabric for the last round.
Repeat until they lose interest, which will be later than you expect.
What it helps with
Keep it safe
- Keep each strip short — nothing long enough to wrap around a neck — and never leave the box within reach unsupervised.
- Check the knots each time so nothing comes loose.
Make it different next time
- Use a wipes container, which gives a satisfying resistance.
- Use fabrics of very different textures and watch which they linger on.
Cleanup: Everything lives in the box.
Three more like this
Learn something
Scarf Pull-Through
5–20 min 8 mo–2 yrs Low mess- a cardboard tube or container
- scarves or fabric strips
