YerielBuilds
Cognitive1½–3 yrsAt home

Which cup?

The oldest magic trick in the world, played badly on purpose.

Prep

1 min

Mess

None

How to play

Hide the toy under a cup while they watch. Shuffle slowly — obviously — and let them pick. Make it easy at first. Add a cup when they start winning every time.

  1. a cup coming down over a small toy
    1

    Hide the toy under one cup while they watch.

  2. three cups being shuffled, arrows showing the swap
    2

    Shuffle the cups slowly — make it easy to follow.

  3. a cup lifted to reveal the toy underneath
    3

    Which cup? Lift it and find out.

What you need

Two or three opaque cups and one small toy.

What it secretly builds

Cognitive

Tracking a hidden object is working memory: holding something in mind while the world moves. It's the same muscle they'll use to follow a two-step instruction.

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