Parents | Raising readers & learners.

Home of Parent & Child Magazine

Cups o' Fun

What can a baby do with a cup? Give him a few and let the creativity flow.

Learning Benefits

Hover over each Learning Benefit below for a detailed explanation.
Cognitive Skills
Fine Motor Skills

What you need:

  • cups 

What to do:

  1. When your baby can sit up on his own, build a pyramid and show him how to knock it down. Soon, he will make the game his own. Kaboom! 
  2. When your baby is a little older, he can help you restack the cups.
  3. When babies put cups inside of cups, they are experimenting with nesting. 
  4. Babies can roll cups or spin them. 
  5. By putting small (but not chokable) items, such as finger puppets, blocks, and animal figures in cups, babies can "fill and spill."
  6. Play the old shell game with your baby: Line up three cups, place an item under one, and slowly move the cups around. Where's the toy?
  7. Turn over a cup, get a wooden spoon, and your baby has a drum to beat on.

Learning benefits:

  • provides sensory stimulation
  • supports fine-motor skills
  • encourages cognitive development

The Reading Toolkit