6+ months
– Show your infant how to stack the cups – biggest first.
– Have fun building together but also knocking them over!
– Be expressive with your language.
– Show your infant how the cups also fit inside each other (nesting) and encourage them to try it without help.
– Float the toy cups in the water at bathtime. Show him or her how to scoop up the water and pour it out.
– Show your infant how to pour water from one cup to another – have lots of fun together!
12+ months
– Talk about the concepts of colour and size. When your child is able to recognise colours and sizes talk about the cups in these terms – i.e. ‘fill up the green one’ ‘where is the biggest one?
– You may want to introduce the ideas of empty and full when your child has grasped simpler concepts, such as size and colour.
– The cups can also be used effectively when playing with sand – use dry sand to pour from one to another and wet sand to show your toddler how to build exciting sandcastles.
– Hide a small object under one of the cups – allowing your child to clearly see which one. Then mix up the cups and ask your child to pick up the cup with the object. Encourage him or her to use their words to tell you where it is!
– Always help your child but give plenty of opportunity to do it/figure it out without your help – give hints and lots of encouragement!