Nursery World - Lift the lid

A box that tells the main events of a child's life, and reveals his hopes and dreams when opened, is precious indeed, says Miranda Walker This unusual activity has great appeal to children of all ages. It's creative, requires the children to reflect on their lives, and to think about their aspirations for the future. The children are unlikely to have done anything like it before, so why not give it a try?

This unusual activity has great appeal to children of all ages. It's creative, requires the children to reflect on their lives, and to think about their aspirations for the future. The children are unlikely to have done anything like it before, so why not give it a try?

Ya-ya boxes are American in origin, and were made traditionally by people who sold their wooden, decorative crafts for a living. These were sometimes hard to part with after their creation, and so they began to make special furniture to keep for themselves.

They decorated wooden storage chests with their life stories. On the outside they recorded the main events and people in their lives, by painting their families and friends, and occasions such as starting school, work or getting married. The inside of the box was reserved for a very special picture that represented the person's own hopes and dreams for the future.

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