Seeing Through a Child’s Eyes: Finding Value in Simple Things

A wonderful poem by Annette Wynne

A Treasure Box

Treasure-Things

by Annette Wynne

Bits of tin and colored glass,
Nails and knives and strings,
Keep them in a treasure-box,
For these are treasure-things;
Wrap them up most neatly,
Keep them hidden so,
For what are really treasure-things
Parents never know.

I offer this simple poem to everyone, but particularly for those of us who feel gloomy after the election results.

Of all the poems that celebrate the small joys of childhood, Treasure-Things by Annette Wynne hits on something simple and delightful. It brings to life the way children can find magic and value in the most ordinary items. Wynne captures how children see the world in ways that adults sometimes forget. A bit of tin, a shard of colored glass, an old nail, a random string—things that most grown-ups see as scraps or junk can be something else entirely to a child.

Imagine a young child with a small box, carefully tucking away each treasure they’ve found. These objects have no inherent value, and yet, in a child’s hands, they might as well be gold coins and jewels. Children have an ability to look beyond an object’s worth or utility and instead see its potential or beauty. A small piece of glass catches the light just right; a nail feels sturdy in the palm of their hand, and a bit of string can be twisted and tied in a million ways—all these become a world of imagination and possibility.

When Wynne says what are really treasure things parents never know, it’s a gentle reminder that adults sometimes miss the point. To adults, treasure means wealth or something with an obvious use. For children, however, treasure is anything they deem special. A box of treasure-things isn’t about value; it’s about mystery and wonder.

This poem also nudges us to remember what it was like to be a child and see value in unlikely places. It speaks to a natural creativity that sees beyond labels like valuable or useless. Wynne’s poem suggests that children hold a wisdom adults may lose along the way: the wisdom to cherish, to hide, and to believe in the magic of small, simple things. In this way, Treasure-Things reminds us that sometimes the best treasures in life are the things that others overlook—the moments, the memories, the odd little keepsakes we hold on to.