Loud or quiet?

From the house

• 3–4 plastic bottles or tubs with lids
• Fillings: rice, dry pasta, water, a spoon
• Tape

How to play

1. Put a different filling in each container and tape the lids shut.
2. Shake them one at a time. Which is loud? Which is quiet?
3. Shake one behind your back. Can they guess which it is?
4. Line them up from quietest to loudest.

Fit it to your child

• Easier: Use just two jars, one very loud and one quiet, and copy each other’s shakes.
• Harder: Fill two jars with the same thing, one a little and one almost full, and they guess which will be louder before shaking.

Words to use

• shake
• loud
• quiet
• listen
• guess

Why it helps

Each filling makes its own sound, and guessing what’s hidden by listening alone teaches them to gather clues with their senses, like a scientist.