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Where Did the Little Fish Go?

The little fish was right here—where did it go? Let your child lift the cup and discover that the hidden fish is still underneath.

  • 15 months
  • Quick prep
  • At home
  • About 15 minutes
Focus
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Developmental benefits

  • Cognitive：Repeatedly watching the fish disappear under a cup and finding it again gives your child experience remembering that a hidden object still exists.
  • Language：Hearing “fish,” “cup,” and other object words during the search helps your child connect the words with the objects and actions in the game.

Preparation

What You’ll Need

  1. 1

    Toy fish and two cups in different colors

Step 1

The Fish Is Still There

Let your child watch as you slowly cover the fish with an upside-down cup, then lift the cup: “The fish is still here!” Repeat a few times. Next, cover the fish and invite your child to lift the cup and find it.

What to notice

  • Looks for the fish when you ask, “Where’s the fish?” Vocabulary
  • Copies you by lifting the cup Imitation and Symbolic Representation and Play

Tips

  • Begin with one cup. Add the second cup after your child understands the basic hide-and-find game.
  • If your child is unsure what to do, guide their hand as you lift the cup together.
  • Across repeated disappear-and-return moments, your child can experience that the fish remains there even when it cannot be seen.
  • Object permanence emerges with cognitive development. A simple game gives your child a chance to experience and show this understanding.

Step 2

Remember Where the Fish Is

If your child lifts cups but often misses the fish, lower the challenge. Hide it under the same colored cup for several rounds—for example, always under the green one. Repeated success can make the game easier to understand and more inviting.

What to notice

  • Lifts the cup to look for the hidden fish Memory
  • Smiles after finding the fish Emotional Functioning

Tips

  • At 15 months, remembering one location while choosing between cups can still be difficult. Your child may also return to the place that worked last time.
  • If the first cup is empty, say, “Not here. Let’s look under the other cup.”
  • If your child keeps choosing the green cup, tap the yellow one and say, “This time the fish swam under the yellow cup.”

Step 3

Add One Small Challenge

After your child finds the fish correctly across several rounds, change one thing. Hide it under a different colored cup, wait two seconds before the search, or clap once together first. Then see whether your child remembers where to look.

What to notice

  • Remembers where the fish is after clapping Cognitive Self-Regulation (Executive Functioning)
  • Claps after hearing you say, “Clap your hands” Attending and Understanding

Tips

  • If the added action makes the fish too hard to find, return to the basic game or try only one clap.
  • Follow your child’s engagement. Continue while they are enjoying the game, and stop when they begin looking away or growing impatient.
  • Change only one feature at a time—the cup color, a short wait, or one clap—so the new challenge remains clear.

Better Parenting Content Team · Updated September 11, 2026