TinyStepper
Young baby reaching into a treasure basket of safe objects on a play mat

Teamwork Treasure Box

Siblings work together to open a 'treasure box' with clasps and challenges — the prize inside is shared.

Activity details

2y–4y10 minsmediumindoorCardboard BoxesStickersString or Yarn

Instructions

Get ready
  • While children are not looking, wrap a cardboard box with tape, stickers, and ribbon
  • Place a shared reward inside — enough for everyone
  1. While children are not looking, wrap a cardboard box with tape, stickers, and ribbon
  2. Place a shared reward inside — enough for everyone
  3. Present the box: 'This is the treasure box! You need to work TOGETHER to open it'
  4. Guide cooperation: 'One of you hold it steady, the other pull the tape'
  5. Celebrate teamwork: 'Look — you're helping each other!'
  6. When the box is open, share the reward equally
  7. Talk about the experience: 'You did that TOGETHER — neither of you could do it alone'
  8. Let them wrap a new treasure box for each other or for you

Parent tip

Set out cardboard boxes and stickers before inviting your toddler in so the first minute feels smooth.

Toddler at a table with a completed puzzle and neatly sorted blocks in a bright aha moment

What success looks like

Intense focus, even briefly. Watch for the small ‘aha’ moment when they figure out how something works.

Wrap a cardboard box with tape, stickers, and simple fastenings (ribbon bows, paper flaps). Inside, place a shared reward — raisins, stickers, or a small toy. The children must work together to unwrap, untie, and open the box. One holds it steady while the other pulls tape. One lifts the flap while the other peeks inside. The shared goal eliminates competition and the shared reward eliminates jealousy, creating a concrete experience of 'we did this together.'

Why it helps

The EYFS framework identifies sharing and cooperative play as key social development milestones that children build through guided play experiences. Cooperative tasks with shared rewards activate the brain's social bonding circuits differently from competitive tasks. When siblings must coordinate actions (hold and pull, lift and peek), they practise the joint attention and role-taking skills that underpin all collaborative behaviour. The shared reward prevents the zero-sum dynamic that drives most sibling conflict — both children win, together.

Variations

  • Increase difficulty with age: add simple locks, zip ties, or wrapped layers for older toddlers.
  • Hide the treasure box somewhere in the house and give cooperative clues to find it first.
  • Let the children choose what to put inside the box for the next round — the choosing together is its own sharing exercise.

Safety tips

  • Ensure wrapping materials have no sharp edges — avoid staples, wire, or hard plastic.
  • Supervise closely to prevent frustration escalating if the box is too difficult to open.
  • Check that the reward inside is age-appropriate and safe for the youngest child involved.

Want to try another?

Sibling Treasure Team

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