Activity for ages 3 to 6.
This easy cup hunt game is a simple and entertaining way to teach children how to recognize alphabet letters. (It can easily be changed to work on sight words, numbers and math facts too.) Try it out and then hop over and snag our popular Alphabet Mega Pack!
Getting Ready
Setting up the game is really very easy. First, gather a few supplies:
- 5 cups,
- 5 mailing labels,
- A marker,
- Something to hide (small balls, marbles, pom poms, etc.)
Choose 5 letters and write each one on a cup. (I like to introduce a few letters at a time so that I don’t overwhelm kids.)
Then invite your kids over to join you. See?! I promised it was easy.
ABC Cup Hunt
Show the kids what you’re going to hide underneath one of the cups. In my example, I used a bright green pom pom but you could really use anything.
Ask a volunteer to close her eyes as you hide the treasure underneath one of the cups.
When you’re ready, have her open her eyes, read a letter written on one of the cups, and look underneath it to see if it’s covering the object.
Continue playing until she finds the hidden object. This ABC game is so easy to set up and seriously fun to play!
Find More ABC Games
For even more ABC fun, check out our Alphabet Mega Pack!
Malia Hollowell
Founder at Playdough to Plato
Malia is a National Board Certified teacher who inspires educators with playful approaches to early childhood education. She earned her Master’s from Stanford University and has taught in Pre-Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Malia shares her motivating learning activities on her two popular teaching blogs Playdough to Plato and The STEM Laboratory.
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I love this idea! What a simple way to practice letters or words.
Thank you, Gina! It’s one of my favorites too. 🙂
At Easter time, write letters or sight words on plastic Easter eggs and scatter them in the yard or around the house. If the child can tell you the letter or word, they get the treat inside.
Fun idea, Jill! Thanks so much for sharing.
Great idea, and so simple to prepare. I wonder if it would work for sight words.
You’re right, Rebecca. The cup hunt is a perfect activity for sight words practice. 🙂
Love this idea! With the alphabet letters, you could also reverse the method. Using small candies or treats, hide one under a cup and then have them figure out which cup it’s under my providing a word whose first letter corresponds with the correct cup. Ex: The word is ‘Cat’ and I’ve hidden a treat under the cup marked ‘C’.
Oooh! I LOVE that idea, Kait!!
Great game! Children love to find things. I like how it is very repetitive, but fun because of the “treasure” the kids are finding. You could even put a little treat or snack under the cup. Thanks for sharing at Mom’s Library!
Comment
hi
i like this idea
my child is 3.3 yrs old
he cant recognize the alphabets well
would like to know a suggestion that SHOULD I TEACH HIM FIRST THE UPPER CASE OR LOWER CASE
please guide thanks
Hi Ankita,
I’m happy to read that you’re a fan of the cup hunt!
Most US preschools start with the uppercase letters first and then move on to lowercase letters in kindergarten. But many people suggest that kids should actually learn the lowercase letters first because they see them more often in text. Either way, you can’t go wrong. Once children begin learning letters they often begin making connections between uppercase and lowercase quite quickly.
All the best,
Malia
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