• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy + Terms
  • Affiliates

The Chaos and the Clutter

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google Plus
  • RSS
  • Email
  • School at Home
  • Sensory
    • Sensory Processing Disorder
    • Awesome Sensory Play Activities
      • Sensory Bins
      • Sensory Bottles
      • Sensory Bags
  • Family Games
    • Minute to Win It Games
  • Special Needs Parenting
    • Childhood Anxiety
    • Reactive Attachment Disorder
    • Sensory Processing Disorder
  • Store
  • Course Login

Family Games

Christmas Gift Exchange Game

gift with brown paper and a red and black checkered bow. Dice in the background.

By Sharla Kostelyk

  • Total16
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest16
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

The holiday season is full of reasons to celebrate. And if you’re hosting a party this Christmas, gift exchange games are the perfect way to keep your guests entertained! With this fun dice game, your guests will have a blast at your next white elephant gift exchange.printed gift exchange game on floor near Christmas tree Grab my printable game rules to ensure everyone knows exactly how to play this fun Christmas game at your party.

Christmas Gift Exchange Game

Supplies needed:

  • Printable game rules (download those here)
  • Dice
  • Gifts

Instructions:

  1. Ask your guests to bring one gift to your party.
  2. Place the gifts on a table and tell everyone to grab a gift.
  3. Ask everyone to sit in a circle and take turns rolling the die. Then follow the rules for the number they roll.
  4. When a person unwraps their gift, they are out of the game and may not swap with anyone else or pass their gift.
  5. Continue rolling the dice and playing until everyone has unwrapped their present.

hand holding a die beside a wrapped gift

Christmas Gift Exchange Rules

The rules for this fun Christmas party game are simple. That’s because all you have to do is roll the dice and refer to the printable sheet to figure out what to do. That means kids and adults of any age can play this fun game at your next party.

To play this game, roll the dice and take a look at the number. Then, follow these rules for each number:

  1. Pass all the gifts to the left.
  2. Pass all the gifts to the right.
  3. Trade your gift with someone.
  4. Open your gift.
  5. Pick someone to open their gift.
  6. Keep your gift.

gift with brown paper and a red and black checkered bow. Dice in the background.

Christmas Gift Exchange Game Ideas

Since this fun game is so simple to play, it’s going to be a popular choice at holiday parties. And with the help of these gift exchange ideas, you can be sure your party game is a success.

  • Set a price range. To ensure someone doesn’t overspend on their presents for the gift exchange, it’s a good idea to set a price limit on the gifts. Make sure you let everyone know the budget for the gift exchange before the night of party.
  • Make sure the gifts are wrapped. The point of the game is to keep the gifts a surprise, so it’s important that all the gifts are wrapped so the players don’t know what’s inside. Tell your guests to wrap their gifts to make the game more fun.
  • Decide on regular or white elephant gifts. Your guests can bring regular gifts or funny gifts for this exchange game, so it’s up to you what type of gifts you want everyone to bring. Just make sure to make the instructions clear so everyone knows exactly what to bring before the party starts.
  • Add an extra round after the gifts are open. If you want your game to go on a little longer, consider adding another round of rolls after everyone has opened their gift. This will give everyone a chance to score a new gift and make the game play a little more exciting. Once everyone has opened their present, give each player a chance to roll the dice one more time, then follow the instructions for each roll.

Check out some of our other popular Christmas games:

  • Christmas Minute to Win It Games
  • Saran Wrap Ball Game
  • The Flour Game
  • Christmas Movie Bingo

Sign up to receive a free printable download of the game.

  • Total16
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest16
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Filed Under: Christmas, Crafts and Activities, Family Games

Minute to Win It Build Edition

mother and daughter's hands play with building blocks

By Sharla Kostelyk

  • Total49
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest49
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Almost everyone of all ages loves playing with building blocks. This fun Minute to Win It Build Edition combines Lego or other building blocks with the challenge of trying to beat the clock. hands assembling building blocks. Text reads "Minute to Win It Build Edition"

The way Minute to Win It style games work is that each game is designed to be done in under a minute. These ones all involve building challenges. And as an added bonus, there are some fun Christmas themed ones too which makes this the perfect family activity for during the holidays.

Our family loves Minute to Win It games. In the video below, you can see our Minute to Win It Christmas Edition games. We pretty much use any reason to play these kinds of games though. Camping, Thanksgiving, or just for fun!

This Minute to Win It Build Edition also makes a great birthday party idea. Just add some decorations and food and you’re all set. 

Decorations:

The great thing about these particular Minute to Win It games is that the decorations are kind of already done for you. Just sprinkle some Legos here and there. If you want to take it up a notch, you can add brightly coloured balloons, napkins, and tablecloth.

Food:

While you can of course just set out some popcorn or chips, if you want to go with the theme, you can use some of these fun ideas:

  • building block candy
  • Lego shaped yogurt snacks
  • Easy Lego cupcakes
  • Building Blocks Cake

Prizes:

Prizes are certainly not necessary as this is just fun to play, but if you want to offer prizes to the winners, some cute ideas that would go along with the theme are:

  • Lego minifigures 
  • bag of building blocks
  • small Lego set

Minute to Win It Build Edition:

One of the things I like the most about Minute to Win It games is that they use supplies you likely already have on hand or are very inexpensive to get. Another benefit is that they work for a wide range of ages. If you want to play as a family, grandparents and parents can join in with the kids.

These particular games do involve building blocks which can present a choking hazard to young children, so adult supervision is recommended. 

Supplies needed:

  • classic Legos or similar building blocks
  • Minute to Win It Building Challenge Cards (download them here)
  • one minute sand timer or timer on a phone or watch
  • a glass
  • box or bucket

How to Play:

  1. Print out the challenge cards on card stock. 
  2. Set out the building blocks.
  3. Each person or team draws a card and has to complete the challenge on the card within a minute. The directions for each game is written on the card.

mother and daughter's hands play with building blocksPlayers or teams can go one at a time or you can do a head-to-head style of play where two players or one person from each team attempt to complete the challenge at the same time and the first to complete it correctly is the winner of that round. That adds some competition.

The Christmas themed cards (there are 12 holiday challenges) can be used along with the regular game cards or on their own. four printed cards each with an alarm clock image and instructions for game playGet your free printable Minute to Win It Build challenge cards by entering your email below. You will also be entered into our email series 5 Secrets to Powerful Family Connection. 

Check out some of our other Minute to Win It Games:

Minute to Win It Family Night

Christmas Minute to Win It

Minute to Win It Dollar Store EditionDollar Store Minute to Win It party

  • Total49
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest49
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Filed Under: Crafts and Activities, Family Games

Saran Wrap Ball Party Game

hands unwrapping ball made of plastic wrap filled with prizes

By Sharla Kostelyk

  • Total212
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest212
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

This is such a fun party game! The Saran Wrap game is great for all ages. It can be played at holiday gatherings, office parties, birthday parties, or even in the classroom.hands holding ball made of plastic wrap with items wrapped in it. Text "Saran Wrap Party Game"The great thing about this game is that everyone is a winner as each person is able to keep the prizes that they unwrap. There will of course be some people that end up with more treats that others, but that’s all part of the fun!

In case the ball doesn’t make it all the way around the circle, you can keep a few prizes to the side to give to anyone who doesn’t end up with a treat.

Saran Wrap Ball Game:

Supplies needed:

  • 1-5 packages of Saran Wrap or Glad Cling Wrap (you want to use brand name plastic wrap for this to ensure that it sticks to itself)
  • candies and small treats (there’s a list of prize ideas below)
  • optional: a large prize such as cash for the center
  • dice

How to make the Saran Wrap ball:

  1. Begin by placing the best prize on some of the plastic wrap. Wrap it around the prize and continue to wrap around.
  2. Continue wrapping the plastic wrap around to create a ball and every few layers, add a candy or treat and continue wrapping.
  3. Continue wrapping until the ball reaches the desired size. You can make a smaller ball for smaller groups using just one roll of Saran Wrap or make a larger ball for a big group or to make the game last longer using two or three rolls. You want to ensure you make the ball large enough that each person will get at least one turn to play.

Hint: If you want to make it more difficult to unwrap, you can periodically cut the plastic wrap and then start wrapping the other way with the next piece. collage of photos of making a ball of plastic wrap filled with prizes

How to play the game:

  1. Have all the players sit in a circle.
  2. Give the ball to the first person. In our house, the house rule is that the youngest player goes first always. 
  3. That person can begin to unwrap the ball, keeping every treat they unwrap as they go. 
  4. In the meantime, the person to their left rolls the dice and continues to roll until they roll doubles. 
  5. Once they roll doubles, the ball passes to them and the dice passes to the person on their left. 
  6. The game continues until the entire ball in unwrapped with the last person being able to keep the prize at the center of the ball. 

hands unwrapping a ball made of plastic wrap that has small prizes in it

Saran Wrap Ball Game Variations:

  • For Christmas, you can use red and green cling wrap to add more of a holiday feel. Choose holiday treats such as Christmas mini erasers, small candy canes, and stickers.
  • Choose prizes according to the theme of your party.
  • Use this game as a way for party goers to fill up their treat bag at a birthday party.
  • Instead of having the person to the left roll repeatedly until they get doubles, you can have them roll only once and then pass the dice if they don’t get doubles and have everyone roll one time each turn. The person who rolls the doubles gets to “steal” the ball and so on.
  • In this variation, if a 7 is rolled, the direction the ball passes in is reversed.
  • Add some gag gifts to the ball. This adds a funny twist.

$5 bill and a pair of green dice

What prizes can I put in the Saran Wrap ball?

Here are some ideas of what you can include in your Saran Wrap ball:

  • candy (mini sizes as well as full size)
  • small toys such as those you would put in a treat bag
  • cash (bills and/or coins)
  • gift cards or gift certificates
  • makeup or lotion samples
  • stickers
  • costume jewelry
  • movie tickets
  • bouncy balls
  • small fidgets
  • face mask packets
  • mini Kleenex packs
  • scrunchies or hair ties
  • craft supplies
  • action figures
  • toy cars
  • items from Toobs like plastic animals

treats and candy strewn on a tableThis activity doesn’t have to cost much to put together. You can look for sales on small candies the day after Valentine’s Day or Hallowe’en or right after Christmas or you can purchase things at the dollar store. 

Sign up for our email series 5 Secrets to Powerful Family Connection for other great ideas. 

You may also be interested in these party game ideas:

Minute to Win It GamesA collage of images of kids and teens playing games at home. The text reads Minute to Win It Games.

The Flour Game

The Put Away Scavenger Huntboy in red shirt is delighted holding two chocolate bars

  • Total212
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest212
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Filed Under: Crafts and Activities, Family Games

The Put Away Scavenger Hunt

boy in red shirt is delighted holding two chocolate bars

By Sharla Kostelyk

  • Total7
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest7
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Moms…you are going to love me after reading this! It’s so easy to do and costs nothing. No planning ahead required. The Put Away Scavenger Hunt is my go-to for turning grumpy days around. collage of photos of things being put back where they go. Text "the Put Away Scavenger Hunt"We have been doing put away scavenger hunts for at least a decade now and they never seem to get old. I usually just do them on an ordinary day with my own kids to change the mood, but I’ve also done them in place of an Easter Egg Hunt or as a birthday party game. It’s always a big hit.

Our family really enjoys scavenger hunts such as our photo scavenger hunt, sensory scavenger hunt, or Opposite Day scavenger hunt.

The Put Away Scavenger Hunt:

Supplies needed:

  • random items you already have around the house
  • a prize. This can be candy, a full Easter basket, party treat bags, or something like staying up an extra hour at bedtime or getting a free pass on chores.

How to play:

  1. To set things up, choose one item you will give your child to start with. In this example, it will be the spatulas. Set this item aside.
  2. In the place where this item should go, place another item that doesn’t belong there. (In this example, a fidget toy was in the drawer where the spatulas should be.) 
  3. Continue to do this with items around the house.
  4. In the place where the last item should go, put the prize.
  5. To play, hand your child (or children) the first item to put away. 
  6. When they discover something in that location that isn’t where it should be, have them put that away and so forth.
  7. In the last location, they will discover their prize.

collage of photos where one item in each picture is in the wrong place

To give you an idea of how this works, I’ve taken pictures of a sample Put Away Scavenger Hunt to walk you through.

  • spatulas handed to child
  • spatulas get put away in the kitchen drawer
  • fidget toy where spatulas should be
  • fidget toy put away in its place
  • keys where fidget toy should be
  • key ring put back on its hook
  • dishcloth where keys should be
  • dishcloth put in its drawer
  • decorative “R” shouldn’t be there
  • in the place where the “R” belongs, an expanding ball sits
  • expanding ball put where it goes
  • toilet paper discovered there

collage of photos of things where they don't belong

  • toilet paper put back in its cupboard
  • shoes discovered there
  • shoes replaced near shoe rack
  • decorative sailboat sits on the floor
  • sailboat replaced on dresser
  • remote control shouldn’t be there
  • remote placed back in the living room and some treats are discovered in its bowl!

boy in red shirt is delighted holding two chocolate barsPut Away Scavenger Hunt Tips:

  • For older kids, place items in a way that has them running all over. I put an item upstairs and the next one downstairs and the next outside and the next on the main floor and then next in the garage. That way, it’s more challenging, lasts longer, and gets in some exercise for them.
  • If you’re hiding large prizes like treat bags for a birthday party or Easter baskets, the dryer is a great place. Just put dryer balls in the second-last place and when the kids go put them away, they will find their prize. The garage is another area we’ve used to end the game if it was a larger prize. 
  • Add some humour. My kids think it’s hilarious if I put a pair of underwear in like a kitchen drawer or something. Be sure it’s clean underwear of course, but this always makes them roar with laughter!
  • Toothbrushes, books, kitchen utensils, photo frames, pencils, candles, and oven mitts all work great for this game. 
  • This scavenger hunt is a fantastic teaching tool as it helps kids learn where things belong and how to put things where they go. Think of this as a skills development activity for chores!
  • Kids can also participate in setting this up for siblings which helps with critical thinking as they plan ahead to which item will go where. 
  • Adult supervision should be used of course and your child’s age and abilities should be considered when you choose what to hide where.

Let me know how your family enjoy this. 

If you’re looking for similar activities, you can download our free printable Outdoor Scavenger Hunt. Just enter your email address below.

You may also be interested in:

Outdoor Sensory Scavenger Hunt

Photo Scavenger Hunt

  • Total7
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest7
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Filed Under: Crafts and Activities, Family Games

Christmas Movie Bingo

green and white holiday bingo card

By Sharla Kostelyk

  • Total406
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest406
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Watching sappy, predictable holiday movies has long been a part of our Christmas traditions. Last year, we discovered that watching is even more fun if paired with Christmas Movie Bingo!red and white grid text reads "Christmas Movie Bingo FREE Printable Bingo Cards"My girls and I like to curl up in our pyjamas or our matching Christmas movie watching shirts in front of the TV. Add in some holiday baking or popcorn and hot chocolate and you have the recipe for a relaxing afternoon.

Those Hallmark Christmas movies can be a wee bit addictive! Often, before we know it, the whole day has slipped by.

The reason it’s so much more fun to watch with your bingo cards in hand is it makes the predictability of the movies even funnier. 

Hallmark Christmas Movie Bingo:

Supplies needed: 

  • Christmas Movie Bingo Cards (download yours here)
  • marker, bingo daubers, or holiday stickers to cover the game squares

Directions:

  1. Download and print out the bingo cards. 
  2. As you watch holiday movies, mark all the squares that apply.
  3. The winner is either the first person to fill five in a row OR you can just keep watching movies until you’re able to fill in every square on the cards.

So print off those bingo cards, pop some popcorn, get a mug of hot cocoa, and get ready to binge watch this season’s best!green and white holiday bingo card

Last year, my girls and I filled out all the squares on our cards.

That’s an awful lot of TV watching (!), but we sometimes made ornaments or iced cookies while we watched. One year, we rolled croquettes during the shows and the cheesy romance films were a great distraction for a tedious task. 

If you want to give prizes to the winner, you can choose holiday themed treats like candy canes or holiday baking. And instead of yelling out “Bingo”, you can choose a word more fitting to the theme like “Mistletoe”!

Sign up to receive your free Christmas Movie Bingo and you’ll also receive our email series 5 Secrets to Powerful Family Connection.

If you’re looking for other family holiday fun, you’ll want to check these out:

Christmas Minute to Win It Games

Christmas Printable Activities

Christmas Games for Kids

  • Total406
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest406
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Filed Under: Christmas, Family Games

Opposite Day Ideas

clothes backwards, shoes on wrong feet, printed pages, and egg muffin breakfast

By Sharla Kostelyk

  • Total228
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter1
  • Pinterest227
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Opposite Day or Backwards Day is a fun theme idea to do with your kids or in your school or classroom. I wanted to share with you ideas of activities, food, and even some hidden learning opportunities for your theme day.photos of shoes on wrong feet, clothes on backwards, bingo. Text reads "Opposite Day ideas"The official Opposite Day is January 25, but you can celebrate it just for fun any day you wish. Some people choose April 1st (April Fools Day) to celebrate.

My kids have loved our Backwards Days. In fact, sometimes when they were younger, if everyone was super grouchy, I would just declare it was Backwards Day and the mood immediately shifted.

There are so many silly things you can do. Even small changes like having spaghetti for breakfast and pancakes for supper is something kids find so fun.clothes backwards, shoes on wrong feet, printed pages, and egg muffin breakfast

Opposite Day Ideas:

  • Have supper for breakfast and breakfast for supper.
  • Wear your clothes inside out or backwards.
  • Wear your shoes on the opposite feet.
  • Put socks on your hands instead of your feet.
  • Wear pyjamas during the day and day clothes to bed.
  • Have an Opposite Day Scavenger Hunt.
  • Play Opposite Day Bingo.colourful Bingo and scavenger hunt sheets
  • Speak in opposites (“bad” for “good”, “yes” for “no”, etc.)
  • Eat dessert first.
  • Walk backwards.
  • Do everything with your non-dominant hand so lefties use their right hand and righties use their left hand. 
  • Write your name backwards.
  • Draw upside down.
  • Try a role reversal where the teacher gets to be the student for awhile the parent gets to be the child once in awhile. 
  • Sing song backwards.
  • Say the alphabet from Z to A.
  • Read a book backwards starting from the back to the front. 
  • Hang pictures or artwork upside down. 
  • Practise some mirror writing.
  • Call people by their last name first.
  • Any type of play backwards like backwards skipping, skating, or soccer.
  • Do an egg and spoon race or three-legged race but walking backwards.
  • Play backwards limbo (jump over the stick rather than going under).
  • Take pictures with the subject’s back to the camera.girl in pink hoodie and jeans facing away from the camera
  • Make upside down cupcakes with icing on the bottom. 
  • Place an ice cream scoop on a plate and a cone on top of that to create an upside down ice cream cone.
  • Make sandwiches with the bread or bun on the inside.
  • Talk about antonyms. 
  • Write a poem using antonyms.
  • Teach the kids palindromes. 
  • Sleep with your head at the foot of the bed.

I hope your kids or students enjoy the silliness of this day as much as my kids always have!

Find other fun theme day ideas to use in your home or school.

Check out some other fun games and activities for kids:

Minute to Win It Games

The Flour Game

The Bag Game

  • Total228
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter1
  • Pinterest227
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Filed Under: Family Games

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Categories

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2023 • The Chaos and the Clutter • Site Design by Jeni @ The Blog Maven

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2023 · Chaos and the Clutter 2.0 on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in