When a baby is starting to understand the idea that something still exists even when it can't be seen, any game where things appear and disappear are always a hit! Peek-a-Boo, Where's Baby, and so many more fun games can be played at this stage of development.
While a traditional windup jack-in-the-box can still be a little terrifying and startling at this age, momstown KW created a more baby-friendly version: The Jack-in-the-Cup!
This fun and easy craft is simple and you can use materials that are just lying around the house. We used plastic cups, but old formula cans, coffee cans, yogurt cartons, really anything will work as your "box".
Punch a hole in the bottom of the container using a chopstick, pencil, shish kabob stick then glue or tape a fun "Jack" at the end of the stick! We printed off fun circus characters and colored then ourselves, but you could use finger puppets, small stuffed animals or even a plastic figurine!
Now you have a fun and safe jack-in-the-box that you can operate yourself. Simply pull the stick down so the toy has "disappeared", then quickly push it up when you want "Jack" to greet your baby. You can even add a "Pop" sound or "Boo" as you push the character up!
