The Hungry Box Wants Its Toys

A cardboard box with a painted mouth and eyes is hungry and asks for equipment by color, shape or size, and the kids walk it over to feed it until the room is clean. It builds color and shape recognition, locomotor skills and turns cleanup into a game.

How to play

1. Introduce the hungry box, who speaks in a deep voice: “I'm hungry… I want to eat red things!” (1 min).
2. Children look for something red, walk it over and put it in the box's mouth while it says “yum, yum” (2 min).
3. The box asks for other things: “something round,” “something soft,” “something long” (3 min).
4. Now the box asks how to bring it: “on tiptoe,” “hopping on one foot,” “like a crab” (3 min).
5. When the floor is clear, the box lets out a big burp, everyone laughs, and several kids carry it to its spot (2 min).
6. The box says thank you and falls asleep; sit in a circle beside it (1 min).

Rules

• One thing at a time.
• Feed it gently, no throwing.
• If a friend can't find anything, help them look.
• Nobody climbs into the box.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: bring the box to the child, or classmates hand items to them to put in.
• Visual impairment: ask by texture or size instead of color.
• Autism: preview with a picture of the box and warn about the burp so it isn't startling.

Learning goals

• Recognize colors, shapes and sizes of equipment.
• Clean up independently and cooperatively.
• Perform different locomotor movements on cue.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Large cardboard box: 1
• Class equipment

Teacher tip

Cut a big mouth so everything fits; the routine works for months. Always use the same voice; if the box gets upset when things are thrown, kids listen more than to the teacher.

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