Toddler activities with an egg carton
6 activities in the library use an egg carton, for toddlers aged 17 to 36 months: 1 starting 12–17 months, 1 starting 18–23 months and 4 starting from 24 months. A cardboard egg carton has a row of small cups that are just right for sorting, counting one into each, hiding a treat and clipping clothespins along the edge.
Updated
Egg carton: 6 activities to try
Safety: Use cardboard cartons only, wiped or aired out, and skip any carton with cracked egg residue.
6 activities
- Egg Carton Latch Surprise 17–25 months · 4–10 min · Indoors · Calm A sock waits inside a closed egg carton; working out how to pop the latch open builds patience and two-handed problem-solving.
- Egg Cup Circle Stamping 22–32 months · 5–12 min · Indoors · Calm Your toddler dips a cut-off egg carton cup into washable paint and stamps rings on big paper, hearing color and shape names as the page fills.
- Clothespin Clip on an Egg Carton 26–36 months · 5–10 min · Indoors · Calm Your child squeezes spring clothespins open and clips them onto the edges of an egg carton, building pinch strength and finger control.
- Dough Balls in an Egg Carton 26–36 months · 5–15 min · Indoors · Calm Your child rolls balls of play dough between the palms and places one in each egg-carton cup, practising rolling, pressing and one-to-one placing.
- Tube Garden Copycat 26–36 months · 5–12 min · Indoors · Calm You stand cardboard tubes in a few cups of an egg carton and your child copies your pattern on their own carton, matching where each tube goes.
- Egg Carton Color Hunt 28–36 months · 10–20 min · Outdoors · Active The cups of an egg carton each get a color, and on a walk your toddler hunts for a leaf or petal to match each one.
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Egg Carton at a glance
| Activities | 6 |
|---|---|
| Ages covered (corrected) | 17–36 months |
| Focus time | 4–20 minutes |
| Main domains | 2 cognitive, 2 early concepts and 2 fine motor |
| Where they happen | 5 indoors and 1 outdoors |
| Quickest start | Clothespin Clip on an Egg Carton, 5–10 minutes |
Every activity with an egg carton
Sorted by the first month each one fits (corrected age for children born early). Quick picks: for a calm moment, Egg Carton Latch Surprise; to burn energy, Egg Carton Color Hunt.
| Activity | Ages | Minutes | Domain | Prep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egg Carton Latch Surprise | 17–25 months | 4–10 | Cognitive | 2 min |
| Egg Cup Circle Stamping | 22–32 months | 5–12 | Early concepts | 5 min |
| Clothespin Clip on an Egg Carton | 26–36 months | 5–10 | Fine motor | 2 min |
| Dough Balls in an Egg Carton | 26–36 months | 5–15 | Fine motor | 2 min |
| Tube Garden Copycat | 26–36 months | 5–12 | Cognitive | 5 min |
| Egg Carton Color Hunt | 28–36 months | 10–20 | Early concepts | 5 min |
How each activity uses an egg carton
- Egg Carton Latch Surprise (problem solving, 4–10 minutes): Let your child watch you tuck a rolled sock inside an egg carton and close the latch.
- Egg Cup Circle Stamping (colors and shapes, 5–12 minutes): 2-3 cups cut from a cardboard egg carton as stampers.
- Clothespin Clip on an Egg Carton (squeezing and rolling, 5–10 minutes): Clip one clothespin to the carton edge while your child watches: "Squeeze, open, clip."
- Dough Balls in an Egg Carton (squeezing and rolling, 5–15 minutes): A clean, dry cardboard egg carton.
- Tube Garden Copycat (imitating actions, 5–12 minutes): Open two egg cartons side by side, one for you and one for your child.
- Egg Carton Color Hunt (colors and shapes, 10–20 minutes): Open the carton for your child and pause while they look around.
By age
12–17 months: 1 activity, 4–10 minutes. 18–23 months: 1 activity, 5–12 minutes. From 24 months: 4 activities, 5–20 minutes.
Starting 12–17 months
Starting 18–23 months
Starting from 24 months
Words that come up
Across these activities you will model “open”, “shut”, “what's inside?”, “help”, “circle”, “red”, “blue”, “round”, “squeeze”, “clip”, “pinch” and “roll”. Say one at the moment it happens, then pause for your child's turn.
Safety with an egg carton
- Use cardboard cartons only, wiped or aired out, and skip any carton with cracked egg residue.
- Keep items in the cups bigger than a toilet-paper tube opening.
Prep tips
- Cut the lid off to make an open tray, or keep the lid for a hide-and-open game.
- Put one item in each cup to set up one-to-one counting.
No egg carton? Use instead
- A muffin tin.
- An ice cube tray.
- A row of small plastic cups.
Combine it with
An egg carton is most often paired with cardboard tubes (1 activity), clothespins (1 activity) and ice cube tray (1 activity). The skills practised most: colors and shapes (2), matching (2) and squeezing and rolling (2).
Often combined with
Skills practised
Frequently asked questions
What can a toddler do with an egg carton?
6 activities here use it, for example Egg Carton Latch Surprise (17–25 months), Egg Cup Circle Stamping (22–32 months) and Clothespin Clip on an Egg Carton (26–36 months).
Is an egg carton safe for toddlers?
Use it only with an adult close by. Use cardboard cartons only, wiped or aired out, and skip any carton with cracked egg residue. Keep items in the cups bigger than a toilet-paper tube opening.
What can I use instead of an egg carton?
A muffin tin, an ice cube tray or a row of small plastic cups can stand in for most of these activities.
What ages are activities with an egg carton for?
They cover 17–36 months of corrected age: 1 starting 12–17 months, 1 starting 18–23 months and 4 starting from 24 months.
Related
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.