Leaf Basket Fill and Empty

Fill, empty, fill again. Adults find it repetitive. Toddlers find it the most important work available.

This is where quantity begins. Not counting, which comes much later, but the felt sense that a basket can be full or empty and that the child controls which. Every number concept a child will ever have rests on this.

Use large leaves, banana or teak, because small ones frustrate small hands. Two baskets are better than one, since transferring between them extends the work by about ten minutes.

The sheet has the setup, the language to use around full and empty and more, and a note on when to step back. The temptation is to start counting the leaves out loud. Resist it for the first several sessions. Let the child feel the quantity before anyone names it.