Bottle and Cap Matching Activity

My son is obsessed with bottles. He has been so since he was around 13 months or so, probably since the time he started moving around and exploring the household items. He would firmly hold onto a bottle in his chubby little hands and using his teeny fingers, try to unscrew the cap of the bottle and then put it on. Initially of course he was unable to open and close the caps but would try and then ask us to help him. 

We had kept aside a few empty bottles for him to play with. But we were constantly worried that water filled bottles are soon going to be attacked by the mini and there is going to be water all over the home! :)

Seeing this interest he has in bottles and to keep our actual bottles safe... I decided to make an activity board for him that involved bottles! With inspiration from Pinterest, I began my project. I gathered few different types and colours of bottles with caps, with the idea of making it a matching activity too. 

This board was worth the effort as my little guy enjoyed it and spent a lot of time on it in its early days. Of course like every other toy, after a few days, he seemed bored by it. So I have actually kept it away hidden for the last few months, as part of my toy rotation plan! :) 

Things needed

Plastic bottles/tetra pack bottles - a few of different colours and sizes.

A wooden plank

Glue - heavy duty glue. I used a combo of Fevicol MR and Feviquick. If you have a glue gun, I guess that would be ideal.

Scissors

Procedure:

• Cut the bottle to about 3-4 inches from the top.
• Using a scissors make cuts, with uniform gaps between them, on the bottom stump part to about an inch in depth. 
• Fold the cut out bits outward from the bottle. It may sort of resemble a little flower! Press down hard for a few minutes to create a crease on the folded area.
• Repeat this for all the bottles you have.
• Now, using a heavy duty glue or a glue gun, stick the bottles on a wooden plank, with the cutout bits opened out.
• Allow the glue to dry out completely. Better to let it sit overnight to become really sturdy.

When you introduce this to your little one, place all the caps beside each bottle and show them once how to put the caps on. Once they get the hang of it... jumble up the caps and watch them match them and screw them on! :)

My boy loved it. He learnt how to open and close bottles through this activity. More danger for us now, since all the bottles can be easily opened! :) But the joy on his face upon discovering a new skill, is priceless! :) :)