You will be surprised how entertaining these games are and how hard your children will play. These games can become somewhat addictive for adults too, as you try to beat others or beat your own record. For such simple concepts, these games can provide great entertainment.
You will need lots of plastic cups. You can purchase a few packages of large, disposable, plastic party cups at the dollar store, but hard plastic tumblers work great too. Watch for them to go on sale and collect a bunch. They should all be the same size, but using different colored cups is a good idea, so each person can use his or her own color.
Give each other plenty of room. Spread all the cups out face down on a hard surface. Grab cups with both hands and begin stacking them on top of one another, still face down. The first person to stack up all his or her cups wins.
To change things up, have each person make three or four stacks instead of two, or make a shape from the first layer of cups and continue stacking. You can also make a long line of cups down the table and watch each other run the length of the table stacking up cups.
Another variation is using one hand to stack cups while keeping the other hand behind your back. The first person to stack all his or her cups in a single stack without it falling over wins. This one is more fun when you use lots of cups, so you may want to have one person go at a time, using all the cups. Use a stopwatch to see who makes the best time.
These cup stacking games make good activities anytime, but they are also fun for birthday parties or any kind of get-together.