Supplies Needed:

13”X13” Cardboard square

36+ Dixie Cups


  1. Talk to the kids about how much more a group of people can accomplish, rather than one person trying to do the job on their own. Demonstrate how strong one papercup is on their own. (Crush the papercup in your hands. Have a child step on a papercup. Ask the class, “What happened?)

  2. Ask the children, “What do you think happens if you bring a team of cups together? Can they carry the load of YOU?”

  3. Bible Verses which support this lesson:

    1. Ecclesiastes 4:9 eloquently states, “Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their labor.” This wisdom encapsulates the essence of shared endeavors and the fruits they bear.

  1. Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells us, “Two people are better than one,because they get more done by working together.”

  2. And Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly but verse tells us that a person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back.

  1. Ask the children again, “What do you think happens if you bring a team of cups together? Can they carry the load of YOU?”

  2. Take your cardboard and place the dixie cups equally set up 6 cups in 6 rows under the piece of cardboard.

  3. Give each child an opportunity to step up on the cardboard with both feet and see if the cups are able to support their weight. (Tip: if you have a larger child which gives and does not hold their weight totally, add an extra row of cups and try again. The first time I did this experiment, I started with 5 cups in 5 rows, which carried the weight of every child but the last child which was larger. I called him last because I was concerned of it holding his weight. I ended up having to replace 4 cups, and adding one extra row and we tried it again and it worked.)

  4. Then talk to the children about teamwork and working together, as well how we can accomplish so much more when we work together rather than trying to do things alone.