Family Games

We are big fans of Minute to Win it games at our house. Another holiday or party means we have another excuse to play! So we came up with some awesome Minute to Win It Thanksgiving games to help us celebrate and create family memories.

Some of these games are hilarious. My kids thought the Pumpkin Pie Game was pretty awesome because they got their fill of whipping cream and candy.

The games can be played a couple of different ways. You can create teams and have a member from each team go head to head against each other or you can play as individuals in a “beat the clock” type of fashion.

These fun family games for kids and adults are such a great way to celebrate the holidays. Kids of all ages and grown ups from parents to grandparents can participate. If you’re inviting friends to your Thanksgiving get together, these challenges also make great ice breakers. If you’re looking for more ideas, you can also adapt some of our Minute to Win It Christmas game ideas to give them a Thanksgiving theme.

Minute to Win It Thanksgiving Games:

To create your own Minute to Win It Thanksgiving themed challenge, you can pick and choose from the games below or do all of them. I’ve listed the full list of supplies as well as listing the supplies needed for each game so that it makes it easier for you to plan your own party.

You’ll notice that the materials needed are inexpensive or things that you already have around the house. I was able to get all of the supplies for ours at the dollar store.

Supplies needed:

• pie plates
• candy pumpkins
• whipped cream
• pumpkin seeds
• straws
• paper plates
• turkey baster
• balloons
• feathers
• spoons
• optional: candy corn

Pumpkin Pie

Supplies needed:

• pie plates
• candy pumpkins
• whipping cream

The object of this game is to retrieve all the pumpkins out of your pie. To set up, place candy pumpkins on the bottom of each pie plate. Cover with whipping cream. Each player sits with their hands behind their backs and has to find the pumpkins and move them out of the pie using only their mouth.

Turkeys of a Feather

Supplies needed:

• feathers*

In this game, players need to attempt to keep their feather in the air for a full minute by blowing it up. It’s harder than it sounds. If a player’s feather touches the ground or a surface, they are out of the game.

This is a good one to play in a large group because you can have many people playing at one time.

*We tried to play this game with Thanksgiving coloured craft feathers, but they were too heavy for it to work properly, so I suggest using the lighter wispy feathers.

Pumpkin Seed Suck It Up

Supplies needed:

• pumpkin seeds
• straws
• paper plates

To set this game up, pour some pumpkin seeds onto a paper plate for each player. Set that down next to an empty plate. To play, each person puts a straw in their mouth and attempts to transfer all the pumpkin seeds to the empty plate in less than one minute. If you’re playing head to head, then then the person who transfers all of their pumpkin seeds the fastest is the winner.

Pumpkin (or Candy Corn) Relay

Supplies needed:

• spoons (one for each person participating)
• candy pumpkins or candy corn

Place one candy pumpkin (or candy corn) on a spoon. Have players race holding onto their spoon with one hand (you can allow younger kids to use both hands). If their candy drops off, they are eliminated or have to start back at the beginning.

The rest of our candy pumpkins got eaten by one of our kids before this race (just being real!), so we used glittered pine cones which were the most Thanksgiving themed item I could think of on the spot!

To make this game more challenging for adults, you can create a bit of an obstacle course. Or you can race in teams, handing off the spoon and candy to the next person in line. This is my favourite version of the game. It creates a fun atmosphere with team members cheering each other on.

Turkey Basting

Supplies needed:

• turkey basters
• balloons

Give each person a turkey baster and balloon. The goal of this Minute to Win It challenge is to get the balloon across the table lengthwise using only the air from the turkey baster. You are not allowed to touch the balloon with the turkey baster. This can be played to beat the one minute timer or played head to head with the winner earning one point for their team.

If you don’t have a long table, you can mark a start and finish line on the floor using masking tape and try to get the balloon across the finishing line along the floor.

You may also want to check out some of our other Minute to Win It Games:

Minute to Win It Christmas Edition

Minute to Win It Family Fun Night

Dollar Store Minute to Win It

Minute to Win It Camping Games

Want to make your camping trip even more memorable? Our family loves Minute to Win It games. They are great for large group gatherings, parties, family connection, and laughter. On our recent camp trip, we tried out some Minute to Win It camping games.

Because I didn’t want to pack a lot of extra supplies, I tried to come up with games that would use what we already had with us or small inexpensive items. These are all easy to set up and easy to play for all ages.

Minute to Win It Camping Games:

If you’d like to create your own Minute to Win It camping challenge, you can use all or some of the games below.

I’ve provided a list of supplies used to play all of the games as well as broken them up per game to make it easier for you to plan. As you can see, there are very few supplies needed to create a lot of fun. As you’ll see from the list, many of these are things that you likely already have with you when camping.

Supplied needed:

• golf balls
• watermelon
• playing cards
• rubber bands
• empty cans
• chopsticks
• graham crackers
• chocolate
• marshmallows
• balloons

Note that due to the nature of some of the supplies such as the balloons, elastic bands, and marshmallows, adult supervision is required.

Caddy Stack

Supplies needed:

• 3 golf balls (or 6 if you are playing head to head)

The object of this game is to stack 3 golf balls on top of each other. The balls must remain stacked for 3 seconds to win. You can either play head to head or individually. If playing head to head, the first one to complete their stack and have it stay in place for 3 seconds is the winner.

Card Ninja

Supplies needed:

• watermelon
• deck of playing cards

To set up this game, slice a watermelon in half and prop it up on a picnic table or other flat surface. Have each player stand at a distance from the watermelon and throw cards one at a time in an attempt to get a card in the watermelon. The object of the game is to get one of the cards to stick in the watermelon in under a minute.

You can determine the distance away that the players have to stand based on their age. If you’re playing with a large group with many ages, you can allow younger kids to stand closer if you like.

Rapid Fire

Supplies needed:

• rubber bands
• 6 empty pop cans (12 if playing head to head)

Set the cans up in a pyramid on a flat surface such as a folding table or picnic table. Give each player elastics. The object of this game is to knock over all 6 cans using elastics in under a minute. Again, you can determine how far away players must stand depending on age.

If you want to play this game head to head, set up a second stack of cans a bit of a distance away from the first. In this version, the first player to knock over all the cans is the winner.

S’more Fun

Supplies needed:

• chopsticks
• graham wafers
• chocolate
• marshmallows

Give each player a set of chopsticks, 2 graham crackers, a marshmallow, and 1 or 2 pieces of chocolate. The object of this game is to assemble a s’more using only the chopsticks in less than a minute.

When the timer starts, begin with one graham cracker, top it with the chocolate piece(s), then a marshmallow, and finish with the last graham cracker.

In the head to head version of this game, players race to be the first one to assemble their s’more using the chopsticks.

Defying Gravity

Supplies needed:

• balloons

Blow up the balloons. You’ll need 3 if doing this individually or 6 if you’ll have people competing head to head. The goal of this one is to keep all 3 balloons in the air for 60 seconds without having any of them touch the ground.

If two players are competing at the same time, you can either declare the winner the person who keeps all 3 from touching the ground for the longest or give a point to each player if they both complete the challenge in one minute.

You’ll need a bit of space for this one, especially if there are two people playing at the same time. Some campsites may be large enough (ours was quite large) or you may need to complete this in a field or open space.

All of these Minute to Win It camping games work well for large groups such as at a camp, day camp, family reunion, youth group, or party.

Be sure to check out all our other Minute to Win It games:

Minute to Win It Family Fun

Dollar Store Minute to Win It

Christmas Minute to Win It Games

After the success of our original Minute to Win It family fun night and our Dollar Store Minute to Win It, I thought it would be fun to do a Christmas edition. I chose some Minute to Win It Christmas games. It was so much fun! Whether you’re planning a large holiday party or a small family gathering, these games will bring laughter and fun. (You can also check out our Thanksgiving Minute to Win It games for your Thanksgiving holiday gathering.)

I’ve purposely chosen games that share some of the same supplies. This helps keep it simple to plan and more affordable.

Most of the supplies needed can be purchased at the dollar store. You probably already have many of them in your home. Throw this together at the last minute and still manage to impress.

Use our Minute to Win It Christmas Edition printable decoration kit to make things even easier! 

Minute to Win It Christmas Games:

You can play these games individually or as teams. If you play as teams, be sure to come up with awesome team names to add to the fun!

I’ve added videos of most of the games below to give you a better idea of how to play them. My kids and our neighbour had so much fun trying out all the activities.

Face the Gingerbread Man:

Supplies needed:

• small gingerbread men (at least one per person)

Begin with a gingerbread man on each person’s forehead. The players have one minute to get the cookie into their mouth using only their facial movements. This is a great game to play in a large group. Everyone can play at the same time or you can play head to head.

Snowman Stack:

Supplies needed:

• large marshmallows (6 for each player)

Each player has one minute to stack three marshmallows on top of each other twice to create two “snowmen” using only one hand.

This is an easy game to complete within the time allotted. I included it because it is nice to have a game that younger children can easily play.

If you’re playing these Minute to Win It Christmas games in teams, choose the youngest players to complete this challenge. Even toddlers should be able to do well at this.

If you are playing with only adults, you may want to skip this challenge or increase the difficulty by requiring players to stack the marshmallows using only their mouths.

Reindeer Nose Dive:

Supplies needed:

• 1 inch red pompoms
• ribbon
• petroleum jelly

Tie a red pompom onto the end of a ribbon. Make one of these for each player. Place petroleum jelly on each player’s nose. The player starts with the other end of the ribbon in their mouth. They then have one minute to attempt to swing the ribbon and land the pompom onto their nose and stick there. No hands are allowed to be used in this challenge.

Christmas Cliffhanger

Supplies needed:

• ten Christmas cards

Place 10 Christmas cards in a row on a table close to the edge. You want to set them up so that they form a tent. Blow the cards gently to move them across the table. The goal is to have one card hang over the edge of the table without falling off. Each player has one minute and ten tries to reach the objective.

Candy Cane Catch

Supplies needed:

• garland
• candy canes

String garland up between two chairs with the seat facing out to create a clothesline-type effect. Give each player a handful (or small bowlful) of candy canes. Have the player stand on the chair and drop candy canes, attempting to have them hang on the garland. You can have another player on the opposite chair playing at the same time.

You can either give the point to the person who hangs a candy cane first or see who can hang the most in one minute.

Jingle Bell Clock

Supplies needed:

• craft stick (wide or narrow depending on age and ability of players)
• jingle bells (6-8 for each player)

Have each challenger place a craft stick in their mouth and line the jingle bells across the stick in one minute or less. For young children, use the wider craft sticks. To make it more challenging for adults, use regular sized popsicle sticks. You can also vary the size of the jingle bells to create more difficulty.

Snow Shovel

Supplies needed:

• bowls
• plastic spoons
• 1 inch white pompoms or cotton balls

Give each player two bowls, one with fifteen white pompoms and a plastic spoon in it. Once the clock starts, the players have one minute to transfer the pompoms (snowballs) into the empty bowl using only their mouth and the plastic spoon. This game is quite challenging, so for younger kids, start with less pompoms or cotton balls in their bowl.

Bobbing for Candy Canes

Supplies needed:

• bowl
• wrapped candy canes

Fill a bowl with wrapped candy canes for each player. Challengers place one candy cane in their mouth and attempt to hook the candy canes in the bowl and transfer them to the table. The goal of the game is to move 5 candy canes out of the bowl. The time to beat is one minute.

Peppermint Twist

Supplies needed:

• uncooked spaghetti noodles (one per player)
• Christmas Life Savers or similar peppermint candy (six per player)

Set out one piece of uncooked spaghetti per person. Place six holiday edition Life Savers or similar peppermint candy with a hole in the center on their side so that the hole is facing the contestant. The player must pick up all the candy using only the spaghetti noodle in their mouth. They must stack all six candies onto their noodle in under one minute.

Snowball Run

Supplies needed:

• plastic spoons
• 1 inch white pompoms or cotton balls
• buckets or large bowls

Place two buckets or bowls at the far end of the room. Lay out white pompoms at the other side of the room and give participating players a plastic spoon. This game works with groups as a relay or with two players racing against each other. Each of the players places a white pompom (snowball) on a plastic spoon and races to place it in a bucket across the room. The player or team to fill the bucket with the most “snowballs” in one minute wins.

Good Things Come in Small Packages

Supplies needed:

• Christmas wrapping paper
• household items
• oven mitts

Before the event, wrap some small boxes and cans with holiday wrapping paper. Have each player put on a pair of oven mitts. See how many gifts players can open in one minute while wearing oven mitts. This is quite a funny one to watch!

As you can see from the video, one of our daughters found the game too difficult and used her mouth to open “gifts”. In case it wasn’t clear in the instructions, using your teeth is not allowed!

White Christmas

Supplies needed:

• toilet paper rolls

One person stands still while the other wraps them in toilet paper. This game is best player head to head against another two player team. The team that completely uses their toilet paper first wins. It’s fun to see what method the teams come up with to do this quickly.

These Minute to Win It Christmas party games are great for office parties, family get togethers, holiday parties with friends, or even winter birthday parties.

You can easily adapt the games for all ages from preschoolers to grandparents.

Set the mood by having Christmas music playing in the background. Use holiday decor as your decorations. This means that the lights and tree that are already in the room are all you need!

Pop some popcorn, put out some drinks, set out a few appetizers, print out the game cards and party kit, and it’s time to play. I’m sure the whole family is going to love these Minute to Win It Christmas games!Check out our other Minute to Win It games and easy family games:

Minute to Win It Family Fun Night games 

Dollar Store Minute to Win It 

The Flour Game 

The Bag Game 

Our neighbour Christie introduced our family to the Bag Game years ago and it is always a hit on family game night.  This minute to win it game requires exactly one item and can be played anywhere. It can be played with large groups or small groups and with people of all ages.  It seriously does not get simpler or better than The Bag Game!

We have played the Bag Game both outside and inside. We once played it with an empty cereal box because we didn’t have a paper bag to use. It is a great boredom buster on a snow day and an even better ice breaker at group events or a minute to win it game for youth.

As long as you have a paper bag, this game costs nothing and couldn’t be simpler to set up. We always save paper bags now from stores or take-out at restaurants just for this purpose.

Our family loves this activity. There is always much hilarity that ensues as everyone stands around watching the person whose turn it is. There is laughter and cheering. Sometimes, there are some attempts to distract the person, especially when it comes to siblings!

How to Play The Paper Bag Game

Materials needed:

• paper bag or cereal box

Instructions:

1. Place an empty paper bag on the floor.
2. Standing on one foot, each player must take a turn to retrieve the bag using only their mouth.
3. Once the bag is successfully retrieved, that player tears off the piece of the bag that their mouth touched.
4. In this way, the bag slowly gets lower and lower to the ground.
5. Once a player’s raised foot touches the ground or one of their hands touches the ground, they are eliminated from the game.
6. The last person remaining in the game is the winner.

You will want to play this in a fairly large area so that everyone has room to manoeuvre. We have found that everyone develops a bit of their own style in this game. Some put their other leg way up high and use it as a counterbalance. Some crouch low to the ground with their whole body while others bend their upper half down. One of our sons places one foot on top of the other before crouching down.

The Bag Game Variations

For younger children or those with mobility issues, you can play the game exactly the same way but allow both feet to be touching the ground.

You can choose to have some players be allowed this exception while others play with the traditional rules of the game.

Another variation is to allow each player three strikes per turn or per game wherein their raised foot or one of their hands can touch the ground twice without that player being eliminated.

We have a large family and we enjoy finding family games that we can all do together.  This one has quickly become a favourite.

You’ll notice from the blurry pictures that this is an active game with a lot of movement. There can be some pretty funny contortions, particularly when the bag gets down really low. There have been times in our competitive family when all that was left of the bag was a single piece of paper laying flat on the ground and our son managed to retrieve it!

The Bag Game is an easy activity for large groups with a variety of ages and abilities. It can be played at youth groups, camp, family reunions, Christmas parties, birthday parties, retirement celebrations, or in a classroom.

Click here for more fun family games:

Dollar Store Minute to Win It Games

The Flour Game

Minute to Win It Games