Be Sound Detectives!

Feb 1, 202310 min activity

In the “Work It Out Wombats!” episode “Crab Quakes,” the Wombats need to figure out what’s making a mysterious, scary sound. They become sound detectives and work together to figure out what’s causing it.

Now it’s your turn! Play this simple game with your child to explore how one action or event causes another. Create mystery sounds with objects from around the house and see if you can figure out what’s causing the sounds!

Supply List

At least 2 objects for each player that make sounds such as toys that squeak, keys that rattle, etc.
A paper bag or other container for each player to hide their objects in (optional)

Directions

Explain to your child that you’re going to play a detective game. You (the parent or caregiver) will be Detective #1 and your child will be Detective #2. Each of you should find two objects that you can use to make noise, but don't let the other person see them! If they are small enough, you could hide the objects in a paper bag.) Don’t let the other person see what’s in the bag! When you are ready, sit facing each other. Ask Detective #2 (your child) to close their eyes.

Connect the cause and effect. Detective #1 takes one of the objects and makes a noise with it. For example, if the object is a set of keys, Detective #1 jingles them to make a noise. Detective #1 asks, “What sound do you hear? What’s causing it?” Detective #1 can also ask additional questions such as, “Does it sound loud or quiet? Does it sound like it comes from a big or small object?” Give your child plenty of time to figure out what’s causing the sound before revealing the answer. For example, if Detective #2 guesses incorrectly right away, encourage them to listen again and make a few more guesses before revealing the mystery object. Offer some hints, if needed.

Once Detective #2 has made their final guess, Detective #1 should reveal what made the sound! Did Detective #2 guess right?

Pause and think. Talk about what happened. Ask your child questions, such as, “How can you know what causes a sound even when you can’t see it?” “Cause” is a hard word for a young child. Keep using it but also say, “How did you know what made the sound?”

Play again! Switch places and play again.

Connect the cause and effect. Detective #2 takes chooses one of their objects and makes a noise with it. For example, if the object is a zipper, pull the zipper up and down. Detective #2 asks, “What sound do you hear? What’s causing it?” Before you answer, talk out loud about what you think could be causing the sound and why you think that. Your child will learn by listening to you.

Once Detective #1 has made their final guess, Detective #2 should reveal what made the sound! Did Detective #1 guess right?

Pause and think. Talk about what happened. Ask your child questions, such as, “How can you know what causes a sound even when you can’t see it?” and “Why is it sometimes difficult to know what exactly is causing a sound?”

Switch places and play again. Keep taking turns until you’ve listened to all the mystery objects.

Share and reflect on what you did. Talk with your child about the sounds you made and connect the sounds to cause and effect. Ask your child questions: “Why were some sounds easier to figure out than others? How did we know what caused the sounds even though we couldn’t see the objects? Can we make different sounds with the same mystery object? How would we do that?” Challenge your child to listen to sounds around your house. Ask them what they hear and what is causing the sound.