The Holy Ghost: Paper Cup Pop and Partner Paper Cup Pass

Ask the children “Can you do this pattern with your imaginary cups?” Demonstrate the pattern with your cup and ask them to follow.  Sing the song and do the pattern, you with your real cup, and the children with their imaginary cups. (That way they get the pattern and the movement, and have a chance to practice before the “real” cups are passed out.)

Down up down up down up grab (switch sides) Down up down up down up grab

Now have some adults help you pass out the cups and sing the song again, doing the pattern.

Partner Cup Passing activity

When you finish the song, tell the children they were so good (if they were), that they need a new challenge.

Line up 4 chairs and have 3 children come to help you.  Face the chairs kneeling on the floor. You will need to be at the end of the line.  Do this pattern as you sing:

Down up down up down up Pass (you grab the cup and pass it all in one motion).

You are passing toward the right. Each person places their cup on their neighbor’s chair to the right.  (You will need to set a boundary here of no slamming or you will have to take their cup. This will be so fun, they don’t want you to do that. <grin>)

After 4 times of doing the pattern (and the person at the left has been doing the motions with pretend cups because they have all been passed to the right and are all on your chair!), stop the song and switch directions of the passing.  Now pass to the left.  Finish the song passing the cups to the left.  (You use one of the pile of 4 cups that was on your chair each time.)

Challenge all of the children to kneel down in front of their chairs.  Ask the teachers to be at the end of the row to accept all of the cups being passed down before you switch directions after 4 times of doing the pattern.