60-second
Movin' On Up
Also called Moving On Up, Cup Cycle
Hold a tall stack of cups with one odd-coloured cup at the bottom, and move cups top to bottom until it comes back round.
- people
- 2–16
- time
- 8 min
- energy
- Medium
- materials
- Cheap to buy
Kids-safeHR-safeChurch-safe
Before you start
Make one stack per player with the odd-coloured cup at the very bottom. Players stand with the stack held in their hands at chest height.
- 1Hold the stack in the air — it may not touch the table or your body.
- 2Take one cup off the top and slide it onto the bottom of the stack, alternating hands each time.
- 3Keep going until the odd-coloured cup has travelled all the way up and is back at the bottom.
- 4Finish within 60 seconds to win. If the stack is dropped, pick it up and keep going.
What to say3
- 1“Top to bottom, one cup at a time — left hand, right hand, left hand!”
- 2“Watch the red cup — it's climbing!”
- 3“It's nearly home! Five more cups!”
Host tips3
- Players forget to alternate hands and the crowd will call it out. Tell the judge to ignore it for the first five seconds while they find a rhythm, then enforce it.
- Cups that nest too tightly make this impossible. Use cheap thin cups and loosen the stack before handing it over.
- Forty moves in a minute is genuinely hard; if three players in a row fail, drop to 30 cups so the audience sees someone win.
Variants2
Short stack
Use 20 cups total for children or seniors. Same rules, half the cycle.
Head to head
Two players face each other; whoever cycles their coloured cup first wins.
Good for
Occasions
ChristmasBirthdayTeam buildingSchoolReunion
Venues
Indoor, smallIndoor, largeOfficeChurch hall