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Close up view of completed green frog Ball in Cup Game with ladybug ball.
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DIY Ball in Cup Game from Recycled Cup

A new twist on the old Ball in Cup Game using a recycled cup for your DIY game. Can you get the ball on a string to land in the cup?
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: DIY Toys
Cuisine: Craft
Keyword: ball in cup game, catch ball in cup game, cup and ball game, cup and ball toy, DIY Ball in Cup Game with Recycled Cup, family fun activity, how to make a cup and ball game, kids craft, recycled cup and ball game
Servings: 1 ball in cup game
Author: Shelly
Cost: $1

Equipment

  • Hole puncher (optional)
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks- dual temp so there is a low temp setting
  • Scissors

Ingredients

Instructions

  • You can use any type or size of cup you would like. Look in your recycle bin and see what’s available. Do you have a lid of an aerosol can, a Dixi cup, a paper or foam cup from the coffee shop, a small food container (like yogurt), or a laundry soap scoop for example?
  • It is usually easiest to decorate your cup before adding the handle and such.
    Permanent markers work well on a variety of surfaces (unless the cup is wax covered, like a Dixie cup). You can use stickers, washi tape, cut out pieces of felt, pom-pom balls, googly eyes, construction paper, etc. 
    Make designs or make the cup look like animals or faces. Whatever you want!
  • Either string, yarn or very light twine will work to connect the ball to the cup. Grab what you have on hand. 
    You will cut a piece that is between 2-3 feet long. A longer string makes the game more challenging. 
  • The ball for this game works best if it has a bit of weight to it so a large wooden bead is a great choice. But other options could be a large piece of tube pasta, a small nut or washer, a small toy, or a wadded-up piece of aluminum foil. 
    I’ve placed about two tablespoons of rice in a balloon and tied a knot in the end and used that for the “ball”. The balloon option worked really well. A small funnel made it possible to get the rice in the balloon. 
  • This ball in cup game usually places the cup on a handle that you hold so you swing the ball and cup as you play. See what you have that could work as a handle. A wooden tongue depressor, paint stirrer, wooden skewer (we will cut the point off for safety), popsicle sticks (for a small cup), or a pencil are all options.
  • So depending on what your upcycled items are, you will need to adapt these instructions to work for you. Again, try making more than one to see what you like best.
    First let’s tie the ball to the string and get it ready to glue in with the handle.
    Cut about two to three feet of string and tie your bead (or other object) to one end. Tie it well so it doesn’t fly off easily.
  • Adding a handle to the cup can be done in two different ways. 
    You can cut a slit or poke a hole in the bottom or sides of the cup, stick the handle of choice through, along with the stringthat will attach to the ball and then hot glue it in place. 
    Obviously, this is a step that kids will need help to do as it takes both a sharp item to poke a hole and a hot glue gun. 
    Or you can hot glue the bottom of the cup onto the end of the flat handle of choice (like the tongue depressor), along with the string. This is the choice that I think is the easiest for kids to do themselves if they are old enough to use a glue gun.
    Add some hot glue to the bottom of the cup and lay the string over the glue. Then add a bit more glue and press the tongue depressor over it.
    Note: I like to tie the string to the handle before gluing them down to the cup to add a bit of help holding the string to the cup.
  • It is also an option to just leave the handle off and hold onto the cup itself instead of a handle. I did this for younger kids with the Solo cups and that worked well. This makes the game easier, but it also made it more simple for the littles to make. Your choice.
    With no handle you can attach the string to the cup by poking a small hole in the top or bottom of the cup and pulling the string from the outside into the inside of the cup. A hole puncher works well. Tie a small bead to this end of the string and then hot glue the bead to the bottom of the cup.

Video

Notes

Low temp glue gun is recommended for safety and so the plastic cups don't melt.
You can try making several of the Ball in Cup Games using different choices of cups and designs.