Hands-0n learning and play can be beautifully simple, quick and easy! Great hands-on play like these plastic cup learning games also don’t have to be expensive. I grabbed a set of plastic party cups on sale at the grocery store and have found countless early learning activities to keep my son busy.

Plastic Cup Learning Games For Kids

6 Quick And Simple Plastic Cup Learning Games To Encourage Math And Literacy

Hands-on play encourages a child to get fully involved with his or her play and learning. He uses a variety of senses and has to problem solve more often. Simple activities like these also allow for a bit of free, creative play too. Who doesn’t enjoy stacking cups, and they make for great inexpensive building ideas!

Supplies Needed: 

large pack of plastic cups (50+ is best)

permanent marker

tape, scissors, paper

object to hide

die or dice 

Plastic Cup Learning Games 

Learning Game #1: Hide And Seek Number Recognition

Label 20 cups with numbers 1-20 either directly with marker or cut pieces of paper and tape to cups. Set up in rows either in order or out of order depending on ability. One person hides the object (we are using apples) under a number. The other person has to pick up cups to find which one is hiding the apple. Before the person picks up the cup, he or she must say the number. Fun way to work on number recognition and could be used with more or less numbers!

Learning Game #2: Learning Positions of Objects

I used two blank cups and one apple. I called out different positions such as beside, behind, in front, next to, under over, on top of, inside of, even left and right and so on. My son moved the apple to the correct position. Then we switched roles. Great literacy, math and spatial awareness activity!

Learning Game #3: Roll And Stack/More or Less

Grab one die or dice depending on how many cups you have. For our stack I used just a single die. Make one large stack of cups (or two if necessary). Take turns rolling the die and making your own stack. Who has more or less? Are they even? How many more do you have than I have? When the cups are all used, the person with the tallest stack wins. Count the number in each stack! So many ways to teach early learning math concepts with this one!

Learning Game #4: Letter Recognition/Letter Sounds Hide And Seek

Same set up as the number recognition hide and seek game above but with letters. You can use upper or lower case or a mix of the two depending on what you are working on currently. Same rules! One person hides the apple. The other person either says the letters or make the letter sounds depending on the skill level!

Learning Game #5: Upper and Lower Case Letter Match

I made a set of cups with upper case and a set with lower case letters (might need a few extra cups if you want to try it). Set out one set in rows (either in order or out of order) and stack the other set. Make pairs by stacking one onto the other. Not only great literacy skills but also great visual scanning skills.

Learning Game #6: Pre-Primer Sight Words Hide And Seek

We are moving beyond letter recognition and letter sounds and trying out sight words too. We are learning a few of the pre-primer Dulce sight words at a time and slowly introducing a few in as he is mastering them. I decided to try the hide and seek game with sight words too. I wrote out some of the words we are working on and taped them to the cups. If you are only working on a few, just make some doubles or have less out!

These are super simple learning games with just some plastic cups! These are ideas that meet our current early learning needs, but you can easily tailor them to your needs or even come up with your own version.

Get creative with your hands-on play and learning with these quick and easy plastic cup learning games for kids.