Tower of Cups Activity

Tower of Cups is a fun Group Experiential Activity that works for all ages and group sizes. The core outcome is working together as every individual plays a crucial role in the successful outcome of the activity.

Requited Props per Group of 5

15 plastic cups of equal size with no handles

One rubber band that must fit around 1 of the plastic cups

5 pieces of sting (around 24 inches or 60 cm’s each)

Preparation Instructions before Activity

Tie 4 or 5 of the pieces of string to the rubber band. Make sure that they are evenly spaced apart. You will then have what looks like a five-legged octopus (if 5 pieces of string)

Make one of these octopuses for every group of 5 participants. Always make a few spares in case they get damaged during the activities.

Step by Step Instructions to facilitate the Tower of Cups Activity

Place a set of 15 cups face down and the 5-legged octopus (elastic band tied with 5 pieces of string) at a ‘station’ for each team.

The cups must be evenly spread out for each group. You can use a piece of paper as a template to make sure they are the same for each team.

Issue the following Instructions

You need to build a pyramid shared tower of the cups by working together as a team. The bottom row must have 5 cups, the second row 4 cups, the third row 3 cups, the forth row 2 cups and the fifth and top row must have 1 cup.

The team members may not touch cups with their hands, or any other part of their bodies even if the cups fall over.

Each person in the team must hold on to the end of one of the strings, that are attached to the rubber band.

The team may only use the rubber band (octopus) item to pick up the cups one and a time, and then place them either alongside or on top of each other to build the pyramid structure.

The only way that they can move the cups is by pulling, and then releasing the strings that are tied to the rubber band.

If there are less than 5 people in any of the teams, one of the team members may hold more than one string.

A way of making the activity more challenging is to get the participants to hold the string with their hands and fingers pointing downwards, instead of sideways.  

If time permits you can do another round of this activity, have some cups upright and the other cups facing down.   

Debriefing and Reviewing Questions

How where you able to complete the task?

Did your team or group struggle with anything?

What do you think led to the success of your group?

Did anyone step up to be a leader in your team?

Why was it important as a team to work together in this activity?

What are the benefits of working together with others?

What skills did you and your team members use to make this a successful activity?