30 min
Origami Jumping Frog
Fold it in five minutes, then race it across the table for half an hour.
🫙
Match the Lids
A cupboard of containers and lids that do not match. Sort it out.
A real problem in every kitchen, solved by a four year old who finds it genuinely satisfying.
Ce qu’il vous faut
- plastic food containers and their lids
Comment faire
- Empty the container cupboard onto the floor.
- Separate lids from boxes into two piles.
- Match each lid to its box and click it on.
- Stack the matched sets by size.
- Put the orphan lids in a bag and decide together whether to keep them.
Pourquoi c’est bon pour eux
Matching by shape and diameter, then nesting by size, involves comparing several attributes at once. Children stay with this longer than an equivalent toy because the cupboard is genuinely improved at the end and they can see it.
Adapter selon l’âge
2 to 3 yearsSix containers with obviously different sizes.
7 to 9 yearsTime it, then reorganise the whole cupboard by how often things get used.
Sécurité
Clean containers only. No glass.
Astuce rangement
The activity is the cleanup.
Dans le même esprit
20 minRien du tout
The Odd Sock Challenge
A real job, done properly, by someone who is four.
15 minRien du tout
Feely Bag
Reach in, feel one object, and describe it without naming it.
15 min
Homemade Posting Box
One box, one slot, and a toddler who will not stop posting.
30 min
Paper Aeroplane Testing Lab
Three designs, one tape measure, and an argument about which flies furthest.
45 min
Cardboard Marble Run
Kitchen roll tubes taped to a wall, and a marble that keeps falling out.