We provide time and materials for Heuristic Play for children aged one to two years. Observing children playing, it becomes clear that children find Heuristic Play more satisfying than the other kinds of toys usually provided at this age. There is an urge to explore and discover for themselves the way that objects behave in space as they manipulates them. Children need a wide variety of objects with which to do this kind of experimentation, objects which are constantly new and interesting, which certainly cannot be bought from any toy catalogue.

Watching children of this age brings to mind the ancient story of Archimedes in his bath, who, when he discovered the law of the displacement of water due to the volume of his body, is said to have cried exultantly, ‘Eureka, I have found it!’. The Greek word ‘eurisko’ means ‘serves to discover or reach understanding of’. This is exactly what a young child is doing spontaneously, without any direction from adults, provided she has the materials with which to pursue her explorations. This exploratory activity is names ‘Heuristic Play’ stemming from the word ‘eurisko’ which has been explained above.

At this age children are more mobile, and move on from working with Treasure Baskets to Heuristic Play, where many many natural items are set out for the children to explore. Now we can imagine a child saying, as she goes to pick up an object. ‘What can I do with it?’ Many items are provided for the children so that there is plenty to choose from, and the children take time exploring the items. The adults role is to observe and to unobtrusively assist where required, not to interrupt or lead the play.


The children’s absorption is predominantly for putting objects in and out, filling and emptying containers and receptacles of all kinds. This develops into seeing which ones will fit into each other and which will not, for example, slipping the lengths of chain or the pom-poms into cylinders so that they pop out the other end. The question of success or failure does not enter in. It is all new discovery, and there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. The child learns from observing directly what these objects will ‘do’ or ‘not do’ in sharp contrast to much of the ‘educational’ equipment which has a result predetermined by the design which has been devised by the adult maker.

In going on to placing and piling, pairing and matching, selecting and discarding and noting differences and similarities, there is a notable degree of concentration and of mental activity generated by the child himself in the secure presence of his trusted adult, as he acquires those vital ‘tools for learning’.

Children are observed concentrating on playing with these objects for 45 minutes or more, developing a kind of ‘one-thing-leads-to-another’ logic in a pleasurable process of discovery.

At home you can encourage your child to work with real, natural materials, particularly wood, metal & fabric, and to experiment with everyday items such as tins, large pebbles, metal spoons, different types of fabric, jam jar lids etc. You can make the most of a walk in the park by collecting leaves or pine cones for the classroom too!

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