Minute to Win It Games are perfect for kid’s birthday parties, group events, holiday parties, school parties, or family game nights at home. They’re great entertainment for big group games or when you simply need something to do at home on when it is too hot outside, a rainy or snowy day. Check out this roundup list of 20 easy Minute to Win It Games for some great family fun.
How do you play Minute to Win It Games?
Each game is only a minute long. You are racing to see which player can finish the task first. Most of the task seems simple enough to do but once you start it can be a real challenge to finish the task.
These fast and simple games hold everyone’s attention plus they’re hilarious to watch. This list of 20 awesome Minute to Win It games are perfect for all ages. They can be challenging enough for the older kids and adults, but still easy enough that the younger children could play as well.
How to Host a Minute to Win It Game Party?
Style #1: Minute to Win It for Individuals – Man vs. Clock
In this version, one player will be trying to beat the clock for each game. So for instance, they will have to try and complete the game within a minute (hence the minute to win it name).
If they do, they win a prize. Let someone else have a shot if they didn’t complete it. If you go with this style, we recommend choosing a different person for each game.
As an alternate version to this, you could also let the same person continue playing games until they can’t finish one in a minute. Or you could have everyone playing individually all at the same time (similar to version 3 below but in individuals rather than teams) and see who all can finish the challenge in a minute.
Style #2: Minute to Win It for Groups
In this style, you’ll pick two players for each game who will going head to head against each other playing a game rather than trying to beat the clock. So you’ll give each person the game supplies and see who can finish first.
The first person to finish wins the prize. Again, rotate through pairs for each game, repeating players as necessary but this works well when you have smaller groups so everyone can participate in a variety of games.
Style #3: Minute to Win It for Teams
In this style, you’ll split your group into two (or 3 or 10 depending on the number of guests) teams. For each game, teams must choose one player to compete head to head in the game with the other teams.
So for instance, one person from each team will be given the supplies and game instructions. When you say go, everyone competes to be the first to complete the game.
First team to finish gets 5 points, second team gets 3, third team gets 1, and everyone else gets none. This works best if you have quite a few people and is a good way to get everyone involved cheering for their team.
20 Awesome Minute to Win It Games for Kids & Groups
- Defying Gravity
Up and away! Using one hand, kids keep their balloon in the air for one minute. If this is too easy, for the half-pints you can add two balloons (or more!). Remember, no resting a balloon on a body part.
2. Wrap It Up
A two-player game that involves wrapping one player up with streamers, ribbon or toilet paper.
3. Ball Drop
Have your player stand on a chair. Set a plastic cup on the ground in front of them and give them three ping pong balls. The object is to get all three balls in the cup without missing or having any bounce out
4. Cookie Face
Each player places a cookie on their forehead, and the goal is to get the cookie into your mouth using only your facial muscles in under 1 minute. No hands! This is tougher than it looks!
5. Junk in the Trunk
Tape an empty Kleenex box to a pair of panty hose, fill with ping pong balls, then tape around someone’s waist. They have to shake until all the balls fall out.
6. Traffic Yam
Push a sweet potato across the floor from one side of the room to another with just your nose (I’ve also done this with cabbages for St. Patrick’s Day)
7. Obstacle Course
Set up a themed obstacle course of objects around the room. Players have to go from one end of the room to the other around the obstacle course on a bath mat or towel.
8. Suck It Up
Players place a straw in their mouth and use suction to transfer a pile of 25 M&M’s from one plate to another in under one minute. Only one hand may be used to hold the straw. Everyone gets to eat their candy when the round is finished! This game also works well with 3 players competing in each round.
9. Stack Attack
This one might not be as tasty as cookie face, but it’s still pretty popular. Give the kids one single stack of 36 plastic cups. Each child gets one minute to stack all of the cups into a pyramid and then unstack them, making a single column again.
10. Penny Tower
How many pennies can your child stack in one minute? If they just guessed a million, they’re not exactly right. The trick to this game is that the child can only use one hand. And believe us, that makes it oh-so-challenging.
11. Nutstacker
Thread five hex nuts onto a wooden skewer. Using only one hand on the skewer, stack up all of the nuts in under one minute. Since this game requires the table to stay as still as possible, only two players compete per round.
12. Scoop It Up
Move six ping pong balls from one bowl to another, using only a spoon. Again, like some of the other minute to win it games, the kids can’t use their hands. Instead, each child will use a spoon—in their mouth.
13. Chop Stick Race
Who can get the most Kix (or other round cereal) from one bowl to the other using only chopsticks? Set the egg timer for a minute!
14. Blue Moves
Stack 30-ish red cups on top of one blue cup. Have players rotate through all the cups until blue is on top.
15. Bottle to Bottle
Fill one 2-Liter bottle with anything — pasta, rice, marbles, cereal, mini-marshmallows, etc. Players must try to transfer one bottle’s contents into another bottle. Whoever can transfer the most within the minute will win. Trust us: There will be a ton of spillage, so avoid liquid.
16. Fruit Ninja
Let your kids chuck playing cards into a halved watermelon for one minute. The winner can either be whoever got the most cards stuck or whoever has the highest total when you add up the value of the stuck cards.
17. Marshmallow Toss
Giant Marshmallows tossed into tiny cups or their partner’s mouth. Partners four-ish feet apart. Who can catch the most in a minute?
18. Mummify Me
Players pair off and have a minute to wrap their partners in toilet paper. The team with the best coverage wins.
19. Lego Tower
Fill two bins/buckets with LEGO (the number depends on the age of the players). Players must stack all the bricks in the container. If the tower breaks, continue to stack. The first person to stack all their bricks wins!
20. Cool Bartender
You’re going to need several cups, and a bunch of straws to get started. In front of each player, place a row of cups filled with water. Have the kids stand at least a foot away from their cups. Their goal is to throw as many straws into the cups of water as they can. The person with the most straws in the cups wins.
Creating a Minute to Win It Readiness Kit
One of the most brilliant things about Minute to Win it games for kids is that you can bust them out at any given moment to beat boredom. But you’ll need to have a few supplies at the ready! We recommend having a dedicated box filled with a collection of items that’ll help you pull off these games at a moment’s notice. A few ideas:
- Balloons
- Empty toilet paper rolls
- Popsicle sticks
- Ping-pong balls
- Blindfolds
- Jump rope
- Empty bottles
- Plastic buckets and containers
- Chopsticks
- A digital timer
Need some decorations for your party? Check out these tutorials for giant mosaic numbers and balloon wall.
