Offering a variety of bottles and lots of lids proves to be a challenging invitation for children to solve this puzzle…

Lots of lids by Teach Preschool

Building the Puzzle

Deborah created a unique set-up for this activity by taping several bottles together to form two sets of “bottle and lid puzzles.” She taped together one long line of bottles and one round set of bottles.

By taping the bottles together, we avoided having the bottles being tipped over or falling to the floor so the children could enjoy a more stable work environment.

The children worked patiently at trying to match up the lids to the appropriate bottles. A few children really examined the lids to determine which one might fit. Not every lid on the table fit a bottle. This was purposely designed so the children would have to think about which lid might fit a bottle and which lids didn’t fit any bottle at all.

It was a test of trial and error. Some children figured out the small lids would fall right through the openings of larger bottles. They were easily retrieved by tipping the bottles upside down. It didn’t take long before the children were using their skills of discrimination to determine which lid would fit which bottle and then testing their choice to see if they were right.

This puzzling activity provides children with the opportunity to increase their fine motor skills, while also challenging their their hand-eye coordination.

If you are looking for a way to reuse all of those plastic bottles and lids you’ve been saving, then I would encourage you to give this activity a try!

Available on Amazon

Links to grow on: 

M is for milk lid by Preschool Daze

Plastic lid ladybugs by Crafts by Amanda