Carnival Cup Pyramid Knockdown
Just like a carnival booth, students toss bean bags to knock cup pyramids off benches while a classmate runs the booth and resets them. It builds accuracy, choosing the right throw, and taking responsibility for a role.
How to play
- Place 3 gym benches along the wall and stack 2 pyramids of 10 cups (4, 3, 2, and 1) on each. In front of each pyramid, 10 feet (3 m) away, a cone marks the throwing line (2 minutes).
- Make 6 groups of 4: at each booth, one "booth worker" resets the cups and the other 3 throw.
- Each thrower gets 3 bean bags and throws underhand or overhand at the pyramid. Every cup knocked off the bench is one point.
- Once all 3 have thrown, the booth worker rebuilds the pyramid and hands back the bean bags. The booth worker role rotates every round (8 minutes).
- Every 4 rounds, groups move to a new booth. Each booth has a different pyramid: taller and narrower, split in two, or with cups alternating up and down.
- Final round (4 minutes): each group tries to knock down all the cups using as few bean bags as possible.
Rules
- Nobody walks up to the booth while someone is throwing.
- The booth worker steps to the side of the bench before each throw.
- Always throw from behind the cone.
- Only cups that fall off the bench count.
Variations
Easier
Move the line to 6 feet and build a wider 6-cup pyramid.
Standard
Ten-cup pyramids at 10 feet and three bean bags per thrower.
Harder
Throw from 13 feet with the non-dominant hand, or knock off only the top cup without moving the rest.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a student using a wheelchair throws at a pyramid set on the floor or a table 6 feet away.
- Visual impairment: use brightly colored cups, and a partner describes how many fell and where.
- Skill level: each thrower may choose between two cone distances.
Learning goals
- Throw accurately at a target made of several parts.
- Choose the type of throw based on the shape of the pyramid.
- Take responsibility in the booth worker role.
Equipment for a class of 25
- plastic cups: 60
- gym benches: 3
- bean bags: 18
- cones: 6
Teacher tip
Pre-count cups into bags to save setup time. Bean bags work better than balls because they don't bounce or roll away.
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