Rubber Bands & Cup Stacking Exercise

You can combine rubber bands and cup stacking for games and group-building exercises. The simplicity of the objects adds to the fun of the games. You have an inexpensive tool to improve coordination, play a competitive game or challenge teams to work together. You conduct the activities indoors on rainy days to alleviate boredom or outdoors on sunny days to expand the playing field.

Cup Stacking

Stack cups in a pyramid shape to improve hand-eye coordination. Purchase special cups with holes in the bottom for stacking. The holes reduce the air resistance and increase speed when stacking. Use plastic, disposable cups for a less-expensive variation and when you need many pyramids for different groups of people. The pyramid has three or four cups in the bottom row. The next row of the pyramid has two or three cups. The six-cup pyramid finishes with one cup on the top row. The 10-cup pyramid contains a two-cup row and finishes with one cup on top. Choose a six- or 10-cup pyramid based on the number of cups available.

Cup Destroying

For this exercise, you need at least two teams. Each team builds a stack of cups on the opposite end of a large table or on a sidewalk. The teams should be about 10 feet apart and have a stack of rubber bands. The teams shoot the rubber bands at the opposing team's cup stack, attempting to knock it down. Encourage the teams to use defensive tactics such as aiming a rubber band at an incoming rubber band. The first team to knock over the entire cup stack wins. Take the cup-destroying exercise one step further, and instead of having teams knock down the cups, they have to slide the cup off the tables. For the safety of all participants, team members must stand clear of the cups as rubber bands are shot at the stacks.

Team Building

Instead of using cups and rubber bands in a competitive way, use the two to improve teamwork. Tie small pieces of string around the rubber band, and leave the ends hanging so that five or six people have a piece of string to hold. The group pulls its string to open the rubber band large enough to fit around the plastic cups. The objective is to work as a team to open and close the rubber bands and move the cups into a pyramid position.

Benefits

The exercises may seem easy, but the activities serve a purpose. You increase hand-eye coordination when cup stacking and take it a step further when shooting a rubber band at a small target. The cup-stacking games encourage fun and enjoyment of physical activity. It will not burn a significant number of calories, but it will move your body and improve motor skills.