10 Christmas minute to win it games to play at home or at school this December.
How fun is Christmas time spent with loved ones around the tree? It’s the best time ever, all comfy at home watching festive films, building toys and eating faaaaaaar too much Xmas food. If your family is anything like mine, it’s all about playing games too!
We love a good game in our house and Christmas time is no exception, so we love the following minute to win games (tried and tested many times!). I also use the same games in my classroom with my students as they are simple to set up, cheap to buy the supplies and super fun to play together in teams leading up to Christmas break.
Of course you can play alone as individuals, it’s more competitive that way I think. Just ask my teenage stepson (who doesn’t like losing) but I think it’s also fun to play in teams as it creates more excitement and atmosphere. The games below are great for both ways of playing and suitable for all ages, young and old. So even the grandparents can join in too!
Without further ado, here are the 10 best fun and festive minute to win it games this Christmas and how to play them.
1) Pass the Candy Cane.
Team game
Need - enough candy canes for everyone taking part and a few extra.
Standing in a line each person puts the end of the candy cane in their mouth and starting at one end hook another candy cane onto the first person's one. Pass the candy cane down the line using the ones already in the mouth - NO HANDS ALLOWED! If it falls on the floor you go back to the start. First team to successfully pass it down the line to the final person wins.
Difficulty level: 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄
Fun level:🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
2) Naughty or Nice Skittles game
Team or Individual game
Need - Three plates for each person/team Red and green skittles (could use smarties)
Straws
Count equal amounts of red and green skittles and put them on a plate in the middle. Put a ‘naughty’ plate on one side and a ‘nice’ plate on the other. Red skittles need to go on the naughty plate and green skittles on the nice plate. You can give players a minute to get as many skittles as possible sorted (must be equal- for example 5 red and 5 green) or let the game run until all the skittles are sorted.
If playing in a team each player sorts a red and a green and then swaps person.
Difficulty level: 🎄 🎄
Fun level:🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
3) Throwing Snowballs
Team or individual game
Need - Socks in a ball for the ‘snowballs’
A wreath to hang in a doorway
Ribbon to attach to the doorway
Big bowl to put on the floor
EASY - Players have a minute to throw as many balls as possible through the hanging wreath. In a team, swap around and take turns.
DIFFICULT - Put the bowl on the floor behind the wreath. Play the same as above but only give points if the snowball goes through the wreath AND lands in the bowl.
Difficulty level: 🎄 🎄/ 🎄 🎄 🎄
Fun level:🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
4) Pin The Nose On Rudolph
Individual game
Need - Blindfold
Rudolph head poster (get yourself a very nice hubby who can draw, like I did!)
Red nose
Blu Tac
Blindfold the player, give them the nose to hold, spin them around five times and vocally direct them forward to the poster. They then pin the nose where they think it is. After all players have played the closest to get the nose in the correct spot wins.
Difficulty level: 🎄 🎄
Fun level:🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
5) After 8 Game
Team or Individual game
Need - After 8 mint chocolates (or similar)
Recommended - face wipes!
Simple and so funny to watch and play. Players put the chocolate on their forehead and have to manoeuvre it down the face without using their hands. If they get it in their mouth and eat it. They win. If it falls whilst playing, they are out. Win a point for each person that eats one. Most points wins.
Difficulty level: 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄
Fun level:🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟!
6) Tower Challenge
Team or Individual game
Need - Spaghetti (uncooked)
Marshmallows
Make sure each person/team has the same amount of spaghetti and marshmallows. Set a timer, and they use the materials to build a tower. After a minute the highest tower wins the game.
Difficulty level: 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄
Fun level:🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
7) Santa’s Sensory Challenge (A bit more prep but super interesting)
Team or Individual game
Need - Boxes with small holes in (can wrap to make more Christmassy)
Christmas/winter items with strong smells.
Number the boxes and Line them up on a table. Give each person or team a paper saying the box number and a space to write. Players take it in turn to smell the box and guess what is inside. The team or player that has the most correct guesses wins.
Some examples of things to put in the boxes are gingerbread biscuits, pine tree cuttings or pines, candy canes, cinnamon spice or stick, oranges, fruit cake or mince pies.
Difficulty level: 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄
Fun level:🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
8) Jingle Bells (Very good for little ones and rather loud!)
Individual game
Need - Big clean soda bottles (2 for each person)
Bells (lots!)
Fill one bottle about half full with bells and leave the other one empty. Players must shake out the bells from one bottle and then put them into the second bottle. Player who transfers the most bells from one to another bottle in a minute wins.
Difficulty level: 🎄
Fun level:🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
9) Let It Snow
Team and Individual game
Need - Bowls (2 for each person or team)
Spoons (1 each person or team)
Cotton wool balls
Blindfold
Give players an empty bowl and one full with cotton wool balls. (make sure all teams have the same amount of cotton wool) Blind fold players and they must use the spoon to transfer the cotton wool from one bowl into the other. Team or player with the most ‘snow’ transferred is the winner.
Difficulty level: 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄
Fun level:🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
10) Stormy Night Card Game
Team or Individual game
Need - Christmas cards
Put Christmas cards out on a table landscape way up. Players must blow the cards and try to get them to hang off the edge of the table and not fall. At the end of the minute the player or team with the most balance wins the game.
Difficulty level: 🎄 🎄 🎄
Fun level:🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
And that’s all folks!
From my family to yours and from my classroom to yours too! I hope you enjoy using these games over the holidays and if you know of any more cool, fun festive themed minute to win it games, be sure to comment below as I would love to hear them and to try them out with my family this Xmas.
Enjoy the holidays and be merry my friends. I wish you all a joyous time and the best for the coming year ahead!
