Egg Box Boat Float

What you need

• egg box
• water
• washing-up bowl
• large pom-poms

How to do it

1. Cut the lid off an egg box so the cup half makes a small floating boat.
2. Fill a washing-up bowl with a few inches of water and set the boat afloat.
3. Give your toddler a few large pom-poms to load as cargo without tipping the boat over. Anything that fits through a toilet roll tube is too small.
4. Let them push the boat gently and watch it bob and wobble.

Why it matters

Loading a wobbly little boat without sinking it takes a careful, testing touch, an early lesson in balance and consequence. The egg box gets one float in water before it dries out and goes in the recycling.

What they're learning

Balance

Loading cargo without tipping the boat teaches a careful, testing touch.

Cause and effect

One pom-pom too many and the boat tips, a clear and immediate result.

Focus & persistence

Loading pom-pom after pom-pom keeps them on the same small task.

What to look for

Watch for them slowing down and placing the pom-pom gently once the boat starts to wobble, rather than dropping it in.

A tip

Keep the water shallow and stay right beside them the whole time water is out.

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