Shoe Hunt: Discovery at Home

What you need:

  • Multiple pairs of clean shoes.

Directions:

  1. Gather multiple pairs of clean shoes.
  2. Choose one person to hide one shoe from each of the pairs you have gathered.
  3. Use the other shoe from each pair as a guide to show you what to look for in your search.
  4. Find all hidden shoes!
  5. Trade roles and keep playin

Ways to expand this activity:

  • Have one person hide the shoes, then divide up the leftover shoes so each person has specific shoes to locate
  • Hide all the shoes. Then, when you find one shoe in the pair, race to find the other shoe in the pair before someone else finds it. 

What kids learn:

  • Compare, contrast. Children look at the parts of the shoe, colors, sizes, and other characteristics to match shoes. Comparing items is a great way to develop language skills.
  • Problem solving skills. There are many parts in figuring out where something is hidden. You have to think about the person hiding them, where the shoes could fit, and guidelines or boundaries of the game.
  • Failure. Failure is an important experience in science, and life! You learn from failure. As children are thinking of places to find the shoe, you may notice they have an idea that it may not work. Encourage them to keep trying even though something is tough.
  • Math skills. Comparing different sized shoes, estimating where each shoe will fit, counting the shoes individually and as pairs.