It’s funny where you can get inspiration for a learning game to play with your toddler. Of course we all assume that homeschooling conventions and books, seasoned homeschool moms and even pediatricians would be a great place to get ideas for toddler games.
But this particular game came from none of those credible sources…I was inspired as I was watching an episode of “Looney Tunes” with my three-year-old!
Of course in the show, the game had nothing to do with learning and everything to do with Tom driving Jerry crazy. But still, what I saw in front of me was a funny cartoon situation that could actually be transformed into a real-life learning opportunity!
Basically, Tom was trying to eat Jerry, as usual. Jerry found a set of upside down teacups and hid underneath one. As Tom peered under each cup, seeming to narrow it down as to which one Jerry was under, Tom would quickly dart under a different cup. Jerry was left confused and frustrated as he searched and searched but couldn’t find the mouse.
Do you see where I’m going with this? 🙂 After watching the show and thinking about it for a few minutes, I staged my own version of Tom trying to figure out which cup Jerry was under. So here is a fun memory-stretching game to play with your toddler, based on the antics of Tom and Jerry!
Cup and Bug
What You Need:
- 1. Three solid colored cups
- 2. Small toy bug (or any exciting “creature” that they would want to find)
Set-Up:
- On a low table, turn all three cups upside down in a row. Set the bug aside.
How to Play:
- Bring in your child and tell him that you are about to play a really fun game together!
- Show him the bug. Have your child give it a name, and maybe make the bug “crawl” all over him! In other words, get your child “attached” and excited about Mr. Bug.
- Tell him that the bug is going to hide under one of the cups. Slowly lift up one cup and place the bug underneath. Show him two or three more times which cup the bug is under.
- Then exclaim “Uh oh! The bug is crawling under the cup and making it move!” Move the cup in the direction of one of the other cups and make the two cups switch places. Do this all very slowly.
- Once the cups have stopped moving, ask your child which cup he thinks the bug is under. Offer assistance if he has lost contact with the bug cup. If he gets it right, praise him and move on to a more challenging version.
You can play this game as long as you and your child want! Whenever Rudy chooses the correct cup, I usually have the bug dramatically jump out and give him a big “kiss”.
I then move us on to a more challenging round. I may switch the cups around two or three times, or even do some loops around all of the empty cups.
This game forces your child to visually focus, as well as exercise their memory and prediction skills. And to think…two crazy Looney Tunes characters are the inspiration behind such a meaningful learning time with your child! 🙂
