Toddler activities with measuring cups
14 activities in the library use measuring cups, for toddlers aged 14 to 36 months: 5 starting 12–17 months, 5 starting 18–23 months and 4 starting from 24 months. Nested cups of different sizes are great for pouring, stacking, size comparison and pretend cooking. They are easy to grip and fit inside each other.
Updated
Measuring cups: 14 activities to try
Safety: Choose plastic or smooth metal cups with no sharp edges.
14 activities
- Big Cup, Little Cup Bath Pour 14–26 months · 5–10 min · Indoors · Calm In the bath, your toddler pours from a big cup into a little one and watches it overflow, hearing 'big', 'little', 'full' and 'too much'.
- Two of a Kind Kitchen Match 14–24 months · 5–8 min · Indoors · Calm Your toddler pairs identical kitchen objects, cup with cup and spoon with spoon, practicing the idea of 'same' that later supports sorting and colors.
- Colander Rain Shower 15–24 months · 5–10 min · Indoors or out · Calm In the bath or at an outdoor basin, your child pours water into a colander and watches it rain out, practising tipping, grip and cause and effect.
- Stir the Pot Like Me 16–24 months · 5–15 min · Indoors · Calm While you cook, your child gets their own pot and wooden spoon on the floor and copies your stirring, lid lifting and tasting, practicing imitation of real chores.
- Stir the Big Pot 17–28 months · 5–10 min · Indoors · Calm Your child tips pre-measured cold ingredients into a big pot and stirs them with a wooden spoon, helping make a real snack the family eats.
- Basin Spoon Scoop 18–28 months · 5–15 min · Indoors or out · Calm Your child scoops water from a basin with a big spoon into measuring cups on a baking sheet, practicing the steady wrist a spoon needs.
- Side-by-Side Sandbox Scoops 19–30 months · 10–20 min · Outdoors · Calm Two toddlers dig and pour side by side in a sandbox, each with their own bucket and scoop, while an adult narrates and steps in only when needed.
- Colander Rain Pour 20–30 months · 8–15 min · Outdoors · Calm Outdoors, your child pours water into a colander and into a cup and watches one make rain while the other holds it, a hands-on cause-and-effect test.
- Pour-and-Rub Garden Hand-Wash 20–32 months · 5–10 min · Outdoors · Calm After outdoor play, one person pours clean water from a measuring cup while the other rubs, then you swap, washing grubby hands over a basin.
- Ice Tray Pour-and-Fill 22–34 months · 5–15 min · Outdoors · Calm Outdoors, your child pours water from a small measuring cup into the compartments of an ice-cube tray, aiming at a small target with a steady tip.
- Drying-Rack Unbreakables Put-Away 24–34 months · 5–10 min · Indoors · Active Your child carries clean, unbreakable kitchen things from the drying rack to their low homes: wooden spoons in a jar, pots in the cupboard, cups nested.
- Small-Pitcher Pour at Snack 24–34 months · 3–8 min · Indoors · Calm Your child pours their own drink from a small spouted measuring cup into an open cup on a tray, then wipes any drips with a sponge.
- Ice Tray Spoonful Count 26–36 months · 5–12 min · Indoors or out · Calm Your toddler spoons water into the pockets of an empty ice cube tray set on a baking sheet, and you count the pockets together as they fill.
- Kitchen Outline Match Mat 26–36 months · 5–12 min · Indoors · Calm You trace three kitchen objects onto big paper, and your toddler matches each real object to its outline, a homemade shape-matching puzzle.
Nothing matches these filters. Try another age band or "Anywhere".
Measuring Cups at a glance
| Activities | 14, 1 on the low-prep menu |
|---|---|
| Ages covered (corrected) | 14–36 months |
| Focus time | 3–20 minutes |
| Main domains | 5 practical life, 4 early concepts, 2 cognitive, 2 fine motor and 1 social-emotional |
| Where they happen | 7 indoors, 4 outdoors and 3 indoors or outdoors |
| Quickest start | Small-Pitcher Pour at Snack, 3–8 minutes |
Every activity with measuring cups
Sorted by the first month each one fits (corrected age for children born early). Quick picks: for a calm moment, Two of a Kind Kitchen Match; to burn energy, Drying-Rack Unbreakables Put-Away; with no prep at all, Big Cup, Little Cup Bath Pour.
| Activity | Ages | Minutes | Domain | Prep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two of a Kind Kitchen Match | 14–24 months | 5–8 | Early concepts | 2 min |
| Big Cup, Little Cup Bath Pour | 14–26 months | 5–10 | Early concepts | None |
| Colander Rain Shower | 15–24 months | 5–10 | Fine motor | 2 min |
| Stir the Pot Like Me | 16–24 months | 5–15 | Cognitive | None |
| Stir the Big Pot | 17–28 months | 5–10 | Practical life | 5 min |
| Basin Spoon Scoop | 18–28 months | 5–15 | Practical life | 5 min |
| Side-by-Side Sandbox Scoops | 19–30 months | 10–20 | Social-emotional | 2 min |
| Colander Rain Pour | 20–30 months | 8–15 | Cognitive | 5 min |
| Pour-and-Rub Garden Hand-Wash | 20–32 months | 5–10 | Practical life | 5 min |
| Ice Tray Pour-and-Fill | 22–34 months | 5–15 | Fine motor | 2 min |
| Drying-Rack Unbreakables Put-Away | 24–34 months | 5–10 | Practical life | 2 min |
| Small-Pitcher Pour at Snack | 24–34 months | 3–8 | Practical life | 2 min |
| Ice Tray Spoonful Count | 26–36 months | 5–12 | Early concepts | 2 min |
| Kitchen Outline Match Mat | 26–36 months | 5–12 | Early concepts | 5 min |
How each activity uses measuring cups
- Two of a Kind Kitchen Match (matching, 5–8 minutes): Hand your child the cup and pause while they look along the row.
- Big Cup, Little Cup Bath Pour (size words, 5–10 minutes): During the bath, hold up the big cup and say 'Big cup,' then the small one: 'Little cup.'.
- Colander Rain Shower (pouring, 5–10 minutes): Hand your child a measuring cup and wait while they scoop.
- Stir the Pot Like Me (imitating actions, 5–15 minutes): Add one new action later, like putting the lid on or pouring with the cup.
- Stir the Big Pot (household helping, 5–10 minutes): Tip one measuring cup into the pot yourself: "Oats in."
- Basin Spoon Scoop (using a spoon, 5–15 minutes): Set the basin and two measuring cups on a rimmed baking sheet on a towel, with your child seated in front.
- Side-by-Side Sandbox Scoops (playing alongside others, 10–20 minutes): Give each child a bucket and a scoop and seat them a short arm's length apart in the sand.
- Colander Rain Pour (cause and effect, 8–15 minutes): Fill the cup and pour it into the colander held over the bucket: 'Rain!'.
- Pour-and-Rub Garden Hand-Wash (hand washing, 5–10 minutes): Hand them the measuring cup: "Your turn to pour for me."
- Ice Tray Pour-and-Fill (pouring, 5–15 minutes): Set the tray on a baking sheet on flat ground and fill the measuring cup halfway.
- Drying-Rack Unbreakables Put-Away (household helping, 5–10 minutes): Finish by nesting the measuring cups together, biggest at the bottom.
- Small-Pitcher Pour at Snack (pouring, 3–8 minutes): Put the open cup and a measuring cup with a little water on the baking sheet in front of your seated child.
- Ice Tray Spoonful Count (counting, 5–12 minutes): Set the ice cube tray on the baking sheet and pour a little water into the measuring cup.
- Kitchen Outline Match Mat (matching, 5–12 minutes): Trace around a wooden spoon, a measuring cup and a lid on the paper, then tape the sheet down.
By age
12–17 months: 5 activities, 5–15 minutes. 18–23 months: 5 activities, 5–20 minutes. From 24 months: 4 activities, 3–12 minutes.
Starting 12–17 months
Starting 18–23 months
Starting from 24 months
Words that come up
Across these activities you will model “same”, “cup with cup”, “spoon”, “not the same”, “big”, “little”, “full”, “too much”, “pour”, “rain”, “empty” and “stir”. Say one at the moment it happens, then pause for your child's turn.
Safety with measuring cups
- Choose plastic or smooth metal cups with no sharp edges.
- Stay within arm's reach whenever the cups are used for water play.
Prep tips
- Use them in the bath or a basin for pouring.
- Nest them from big to small for size words.
No measuring cups? Use instead
- Plastic cups.
- Food containers.
- Yogurt pots.
Combine it with
Measuring cups are most often paired with wooden spoon (5 activities), baking sheet (4 activities) and water basin (4 activities). The skills practised most: pouring (10), cause and effect (2) and drinking from an open cup (2).
Often combined with
Skills practised
Frequently asked questions
What can a toddler do with measuring cups?
14 activities here use them, for example Two of a Kind Kitchen Match (14–24 months), Big Cup, Little Cup Bath Pour (14–26 months) and Colander Rain Shower (15–24 months). One is on the low-prep menu: no prep and 10 minutes or less.
Are measuring cups safe for toddlers?
Use them only with an adult close by. Choose plastic or smooth metal cups with no sharp edges. Stay within arm's reach whenever the cups are used for water play.
What can I use instead of measuring cups?
Plastic cups, food containers or yogurt pots can stand in for most of these activities.
What ages are activities with measuring cups for?
They cover 14–36 months of corrected age: 5 starting 12–17 months, 5 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.