Which Cup Holds More?
What you need
- a washing-up bowl or tub of water
- a mug, a jug and a big plastic bottle
- a small plastic cup for measuring
- a tray
- a cloth for drips
How to do it
- Stand the mug, the jug and the bottle in a row on the tray, with the tub of water and the small cup beside them.
- Ask your child which one they think holds the most water, and which holds the least.
- Fill each one using only the small cup, counting every cupful out loud as it goes in.
- Compare the numbers: the one that took the most cupfuls holds the most. Was it the one they guessed?
Why it matters
A tall thin bottle can look bigger than a wide jug, and counting cupfuls in is a fair test they can do themselves.
What they're learning
- Size words
- Holds more, holds less, full and empty.
- Counting cupfuls
- One number for every cup poured in.
- Guessing and testing
- Saying which holds most, then pouring to find out.
What to look for
Notice them keeping count as they pour, even when a cupful spills.
A tip
Stay beside them the whole time the water is out, and tip it away as soon as you finish. The tray catches most of the spills.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: compare two very different containers, the mug and the big bottle
Harder: guess how many cupfuls each one needs before you start, then count to see how close the guess was
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Sensory activities · Toddler activities with a bowl · Toddler activities with cups · Toddler activities with a tray · Toddler water activities