Mystery Box

Purpose:  This activity can help children learn to think in an organized way as well to understand how to ask meaningful questions.  It provides an opportunity to teach about the qualities (properties or attributes) that help to describe things.  These descriptive skills are important ones for the development of reading comprehension.

 

Materials/Advance Preparation:

• Cardboard box with question marks drawn on it (a mystery box)
• Objects to hide inside (should be well-known objects)

 

Directions:

1. Put an object in the mystery box that all the children will know.

2. Give a hint to get them going (e.g. it is used for drawing).

3. Guide the children to ask questions that can be answered with yes or no. This will take some practice.*

4. Guide the children towards asking questions that will help them to know things about the object. 

5. Write or draw what they have found out about the object on a pad.

    

   *Guide the children towards questions like:

   Is it round?

   Is it red?

   Does it do something?

   Is it smaller than a mouse?

    

Notes: From this activity children will learn about questions, about properties of objects, and they will practice descriptive vocabulary.

 

Eric Gidseg

 

 

Activities Home | Language Strand | Skills | Theme | Type | All