Concentration Cups

Hey guys!

I wanted to share a fun little game I did with my littles today in small groups. Sometimes I wrack my brain trying to figure what I can do to motivate my students. I hate the “zombie” look I get from some of them this time of year. They have other things on their minds….like turkey, mashed potatoes, pie, Yum….oopps I’m getting distracted just thinking about it.  So, I NEED something that is FUN and engaging that also allows me to teach!

Who can use a super simple game that will really motivate the kiddos? ME! ME!          

I know I am always looking for ways to spice up small groups –especially for those highly distractible kids. And this game is even better than that….because once I teach it in small groups, it makes a wonderful literacy center! Woo-hoo!! SCORE!

So, here it is and as promised it’s WAY simple.

Cup Concentration

All you need are cheap foam/paper cups. I used plain white ones because I had them on hand, but this time of year it would be even more fun to use seasonal cups.

I work with kinders and first grade and needed to use the same cups. We played letter concentration with the kinders. I used magnetic letters. We reviewed the names of the letters before we started.  Then, I placed a cup over each letter and mixed them up a bit. When it’s your turn, you lift 2 cups and say the name of the letters (could also do the sounds or even make them tell you a word that begins with that letter for differentiation). If there’s a match, they keep the letters in front of them and go again.

For my firsties, I wrote word wall words on the insides of the cups. We played normal concentration, but I’m telling you those kids went BONKERS for the cups! If they made a match, they got to stack the cups in front of them. They loved seeing how tall their stack could get!

Like I said, I'd totally use seasonal cups to make it even more fun! I've already bought some for next week!

Here is a snippet of the game...It's too cute not to share..... :)

Yes, you heard it right...One of the kiddos said, "We have to hurry because it's almost lunch time!" Hahaha it was 9:30a.m. :)