You can have a "cup" of learning fun with a box of bathroom cups. These cups are not only quiet to play with, but they develop small motor skills and eye-hand coordination.
What? bathroom cups, permanent marker
Why? sight words, letters, phonics
When? small group, centers, independent
How? Write letters on the sides of the cups. Children can put these in alphabetical order or make words with the cups.
(I put the uppercase letter on one side and the lowercase letter on the side.)
*Trace around the bottom of a cup and write uppercase letters in the circles. Have children match cups with lowercase letters.
*Put letters together to make spelling words and word wall words. As a follow-up ask children to write the words.
*Write word families on cups. Children can read the words as they stack the rimes.
*Glue pictures of opposites or write synonyms on cups to make a matching game.
*Write compound words (one word on each cup) and have children stack them and say the word. Write the compound words as an extension activity.
Hint! Store the cups in an empty Pringle's can.
Math Cups
What? bathroom cups, permanent marker
Why? numbers, counting, math facts
When? small group, centers, independent
How? Write numbers with a permanent marker on the sides of the cups.
*Mix up the cups. Ask the children to put the cups in order.
*Trace around the bottom of one cup 20 times on a file folder as shown. Write the numerals in sequential order from top to bottom and left to right in the circles. Children take the cups and match them up to the appropriate circle on the file folder. Next, sweep the cups off and try to stack them up vertically from 1-20.
*Make math cups with multiples so children can practice counting by 2's, 5’s, 10’s, and so forth.
