How to play the Classroom Cup

The Melbourne Cup runs on Tuesday 3 November 2026, and most classrooms around Australia stop to watch it. This game gives your students their own race to cheer for, and every horse is called in the language you teach. It takes about 15 minutes and needs no preparation.

1
Hand out the horses. Press Print race tickets and give every student a horse, from 1 to 10. It works like a Melbourne Cup sweep, with no money involved, just bragging rights. With more than 10 students, give out two sets so horses have a few supporters each.
2
Learn your horse's name. Each horse is named with a number in your language, so horse 7 might be sette, nana or sieben. Give students a minute to practise saying their horse's name out loud.
3
They're off! Press the big yellow button. The caller shows one horse's name in your language, and you read it aloud (or press Hear it again to let your device say it). Students holding that horse jump up and shout the word back, and their horse gallops one step closer to the finish.
4
Keep calling. Nobody knows which horse comes next, so everyone has to listen to every single call. The first horse to cross the finish line wins the Classroom Cup.
For older students: switch to Silk colours. The caller now names the colour of each jockey's silks instead, and students have to work out which horse is moving. Every race ticket shows both the number and the colour, so you can switch modes without handing anything out again.

Make it a proper Cup Day

A
Run the heats. Play three short races and give a point to each winner's supporters. The horse with the most points takes home the Cup.
B
Student caller. Let a student read each call to the class. Saying the words aloud is even better practice than listening for them.
C
Fashions on the field. Students design a race day hat in the colours of their jockey's silks, then describe it using the colour words from the game.

Why it works

The race keeps every student listening, because each call might be their horse. They hear the same small set of words again and again, and they connect each one to something they care about, so the numbers and colours stick without it feeling like revision. It suits any class from Kindergarten to Year 6, with numbers for younger students and colours for older ones.

Language resources for every year

Our print and go resources cover all eight languages from Kindergarten to Year 6, so you always have a lesson ready after the race is run.

Find resources for your language
JapaneseItalianIndonesianFrenchSpanishGermanGreekMandarin
Back to Teaching Ideas