Will It Fit Through the Hole?

Big cardboard boxes have holes of different sizes, and children test which balls fit through each one by pushing or rolling them in. It builds size perception, hand skills and decision-making.

How to play

1. Meet the cardboard monsters: boxes with big, medium and small mouths, plus a mountain of balls in every size (2 min).
2. In groups of 6, each child takes a ball and tests which mouth it fits through (3 min).
3. Now look before trying: say “Will it fit or not?” and then check (3 min).
4. Roll the ball along the floor into each monster's ground-level mouth (2 min).
5. Open the boxes and sort the balls into three piles: big, medium and small (2 min).

Rules

• Try one ball at a time.
• If it doesn't fit, don't force it: find another mouth.
• Wait for your friend to finish before using the same mouth.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: place a box on the table at wheelchair height with the mouths facing the child.
• Visual impairment: outline the mouths with textured tape and use balls with a different texture for each size.
• Autism: start with a single box and a few balls to avoid sensory overload.

Learning goals

• Compare the sizes of objects and openings.
• Predict whether something will fit before checking.
• Handle balls of different sizes with precision.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Cardboard boxes with holes: 4
• Balls in different sizes: 40

Teacher tip

Cover the cut edges of the mouths with tape so they're not sharp. The smallest ball should be at least 6–7 cm (about 2.5 in): nothing that could fit in a child's mouth.

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