# 02 · Cup builders

**Ten minutes · making / counting.** **You need:** Four to six unbreakable
plastic cups or small cardboard boxes on a table or floor. No glass.

**Play:** Invite the child to stack or line up the cups. Try a wide base, a
tall tower or a cup bridge. If it falls, ask what they want to change. The
child may build one level and stop.

**Adult says:** “Which cup goes next?” “What could help it stay up?” “How
many cups did you use this time?” Count together only if the child wants to.

**Child chooses:** Build, knock down, nest, line up or direct an adult.
There is no required design or height.

**Notice:** Did they test a new arrangement or repeat one they liked? What
did they say or show when the tower changed?

**Access and safety:** Use a low table and large cups for easier reach.
Offer quiet cardboard boxes if falling cups are too loud. Keep the build
away from edges and younger children's mouths. No screen is needed; a private
photo of two designs is optional if the family wants to compare them later.

**Reuse:** © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026 · [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · Original; note changes if adapted.