Stacking Cups by The First Years
One of the activities young children are compelled to do is empty or dump things out. I can see the attraction—it’s an automatic instance of cause and effect! These kiddos are scientists in action! They are observing the effects of gravity, testing physics principles and maybe testing the patience of the adults around them!
I’m not fond of ‘fill-n-spill’ toys that have a lot of bells and whistles…I think they’re unnecessary and, often, distracting to the task at hand—PLAYING! Thankfully, The First Years’ Stacking Cups is a win-win for everyone!
Consisting of 8 cups of graduated sizes and coming in a variety of colors, the Stacking Cups toy can be considered a classic toy because it will stand the test of time…lasting years and offering up multiple things to do! Yes, your kidlet can put things in the cups—comparing how much the different cups can hold—and then dumping the cups out. But since the cups come in graduating sizes they can be nested or stacked, one on top of another, letting your kiddo construct a tall building…and then knocking it down! The cups can also be used to help learn the names of colors. AND as your child becomes aware of quantities or amounts, use the cups for your kidlet to match the amount of items in the cup to the numeral on the bottom of the cup, giving them practice counting and building their number recognition skills.
Additional skills addressed by playing with The First Years’ Stacking Cups:
●Eye-hand coordination
●Problem-solving skills
The First Years’ Stacking Cup definitely gets a PLAY ON stamp of approval! This toy is:
●Open-ended toy
●For children 6 months and up
●BPA & phthalate-free…especially important for young kiddos who put everything in their mouths!
●Dishwasher-safe—again, important when concerned about what might end up in your little one’s mouth!
●Can be used outside of sandbox, in sandbox or in bathtub! Note: Holes in the bottom (the number of holes correspond to the numeral on the bottom) allow water/sand to drain out providing visual stimulation
●Price–not expensive!
The only detraction, and it’s minor, is the inconsistency with the holes in the bottom of the cups. Yes, the number of holes corresponds to the numeral on the cup BUT they also introduce shapes on the bottom. Cups with numerals 1-3 have holes of the same shapes…I don’t know why they couldn’t have continued with that for all of the cups.
Yours in Play!
Teacher Karen