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Speedy party games to play at home or in the office
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This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu
and by wikiHow staff writer, Sophie Burkholder, BA
. Ashton Wu is a Game Expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
This article has been viewed 60,680 times.
Do you need a quick and easy game for this week’s family dinner, office party, or neighborhood cookout? “Minute to Win It” games are popular because they’re simple, fast-paced, and often result in some side-splitting hijinks that everyone can enjoy. If you’re looking for a Minute to Win It game to play with adults, the list below has plenty of options for any amount of supplies and any group you’re playing with. The clock’s ticking’!
Steps
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Give each player two balloons. Each player’s goal is to keep their balloons from touching the ground, but they can only use one hand and not hold the balloons. Increase the challenge level by adding three balloons per player. [1] X Research source
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Have each player place a cookie on their forehead. In one minute, each player’s goal is to get the cookie into their mouth using only their facial muscles—no hands. [2] X Research source
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Players must make a stack of 25 pennies in under a minute. They can only use one hand, and the quickest player to stack their pennies wins. This game works well with three players per round. [3] X Research source
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Give each player two paper plates. Put 25 M&Ms on one of the plates and leave the other empty. Each player puts a straw in their mouth and uses suction to transfer all 25 M&Ms to the other plate. [4] X Research source
- Players can hold the straw still while it’s in their mouth, but they can only use one hand.
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Place two bowls in front of each player, one empty and one filled with ping pong balls . Using nothing but a spoon in their mouth, each player must transfer as many ping pong balls as possible to their empty bowl. [5] X Research source
- Hands are only allowed if a player drops a ping-pong ball. In this case, they can use their hands to place the ball back in its original bowl.
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Clear off a long table and fill plastic cups with water. Set the cups on the table, placing at least six cups in a pyramid shape at each end of the table. [6] X Research source
- Standing at opposite ends of the table, players attempt to throw ping-pong balls into the opposite player’s cups.
- The winner is the one who lands the most ping-pong balls in the cups within one minute.
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Give each player a bag of puffy marshmallows . Each contestant attempts to stuff their mouth with as many marshmallows as possible. Whoever uses the most marshmallows is the winner.
- You can make the losers recite “chubby bunny” or another funny phrase!
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Give each player a liter of Coca-Cola and a Mentos candy. At the same time, contestants drop their Mento into the soda bottle. Whoever’s “volcano” erupts first is the winner!
- It may be helpful to film this Minute to Win It game in case it’s difficult to determine whose soda erupted the fastest.
- You could also give contestants chairs or step ladders to drop their Mentos from, which may give them a bigger explosion.
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Give each contestant a stack of 10 red Solo cups . Each player must stack their cups into a pyramid and then undo the stack without it collapsing. For a greater challenge, only allow contestants to use one hand. [7] X Research source
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Before the game, fold 20 index cards in half to make a crease down the center. Place these folded index cards and 10 additional unbent ones next to the player.
- When the time starts, the player builds a tower using two bent cards and one flat card for each story.
- To win, the player must build a 10-story tower before the minute is up.
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On a table or chair about 6–8 feet (1.8–2.4 m) from the players, set up 6 empty soda cans in a pyramid. The players flick rubber bands at the cans in an attempt to knock over the entire pyramid before the time is up. [8] X Research source
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Smear petroleum jelly (or Vaseline ) onto a paper plate. Place a bowl of cotton balls right next to it, with an empty bowl placed 2–3 feet (0.61–0.91 m) away. Each player must dip their nose into the jelly and then attempt to pick up a cotton ball using only their nose. [9] X Research source
- Once a cotton ball is secure, the player tries to move it to the empty bowl and dislodge it, all without using their hands.
- A player must successfully transfer 5 cotton balls within one minute to win.
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Players must name as many U.S. presidents as they can in 60 seconds. To raise the difficulty level, require players to name the presidents first AND last names, instead of only the surname.
- If you live in or with a group of people who aren’t from the United States, you can also do this game with former presidents or leaders of your country!
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Give each player a box of Lucky Charms cereal that they can dump out on the table in front of them. Each player must separate the charms into their individual categories. Whoever has the most sorted marshmallows at the end of a minute wins.
- You can also buy a carton of Lucky Charms marshmallows without the cereal part!
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Cut any cardboard cereal box into square pieces as if you were making a puzzle. Challenge the contestants to reassemble the box in under a minute. Whoever completes the task first or is closest to completing the task after a minute is the winner! [10] X Research source
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Give each contestant a fully built Jenga tower. Whoever can remove the most Jenga blocks from their tower in one minute—without toppling the stack—is the Jenga champion!
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Use furniture and other large objects to create a short obstacle course. When designing the course, remember that everyone should be able to get through it in less than a minute. Every player must complete the course while balancing a book on their head, which requires “proper” posture. [11] X Research source
- If someone loses their book, they must start from the beginning of the race.
- Have players go one at a time, with 60 seconds allotted for each.
- This game is great if you have a space with a lot of room to move around, like an open-concept office.
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Play as two teams of two and give each player a clipboard. Use the clipboards as “tennis rackets” and a crumpled-up piece of paper as the “tennis ball.” Each team is trying to hit the paper into a trash can. Whoever achieves this goal first is the champion team! [12] X Research source
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Give each player a word problem that describes a person’s income and expenses. Their expenses should include both essential bills and discretionary spending. See who is the first to determine if this person is following their budget or overspending, and challenge them to figure out the margin! An example of such a word problem may look something like:
- Hazel works as a staff writer in New York City. She makes $36,000 annually after taxes and is paid on the first of every month. Her rent, including utilities, is $950 per month. Each month, she spends about $200 on groceries, $80 on her phone bill, $20 on her gym membership, $200 on restaurants and going out with friends, and $400 on other expenses like toiletries and shopping. Hazel also wants to put 10% of every paycheck into her savings. She flies home to California every three months, for which a round-trip plane ticket costs about $350. Does Hazel have a balanced budget, or is she spending too much?
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Make a playlist of twelve well-known songs. Put the playlist on shuffle and play a five-second snippet of each song, which totals one minute. Ask participants to write down the name of each song on a piece of paper. Whoever has the most correct song titles wins!
- For an added challenge, require players to write the artist name for each song or even the album name for bonus points!
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Buy a basic set of Legos and print out instructions for a simple Lego project, like building a Lego house or making a Lego car . See which player can complete their project—or get the closest—in under 60 seconds.
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Split your group into pairs and allow each player to interview their partner for one minute. The interviewers can take notes on the interviewee’s responses. Each player should have been both the interviewer and interviewee before being given a chance to share about their partner.
- The winner is the one who can recite the most facts about their partner from memory after the interview.
- Sample things to ask partners about during the interview may include their job title, hometown, favorite food, middle name, etc.
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Divide players into groups of two. Assign one person in each pair to be the dizzy mummy while their partner acts as an assistant. The assistant holds a roll of toilet paper in their hands and gives the end to the dizzy mummy. [13] X Research source
- When the one-minute timer starts, the dizzy mummy spins in circles, trying to completely wrap themselves in toilet paper (like a mummy!).
- Whoever makes the most convincingly-covered mummy at the end of the game is the winner.
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Tie one end of the string to a banana and tie the other end to the front of the player’s waistband or belt. The banana should hang just above the ground but not touch the floor. Place a hula hoop on the ground with two oranges placed 2–3 feet (0.61–0.91 m) away from the hoop.
- The player must move both oranges inside the hula hoop using only the banana.
- Use sturdy string like twine or clothesline.
- While you could play this game with older kids and teens, depending on the environment, this game is probably best left to the adults.
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Tape two TicTac boxes to the opposite end of a ruler. Open the TicTac boxes and place the ruler in the player’s mouth. The ruler should be centered with the player’s mouth in the middle.
- The player’s goal is to empty both TicTac boxes by moving their head back and forth, up and down, or however they can to empty the TicTac boxes before the time is up.
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Cut a watermelon in half and place one half in a bowl with the cut side facing the player. Give the player a full deck of cards. When the timer starts, the player must throw the cards one at a time toward the watermelon. [14] X Research source
- Their goal is to get at least one card to stick in the watermelon by the time the timer goes off.
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Place 18 plastic cups upside down on a table, with a piece of colored candy underneath each one. There should only be three candy colors, e.g., red, green, and yellow. Take three additional cups and write one of the candy colors on each cup.
- Somewhere nearby, place three more cups right-side-up to collect the candies.
- The player turns over the first cup, takes the candy, and then delivers it to the corresponding labeled cup.
- Play continues like this until all the candies have been sorted, and whichever player can do it in the least amount of time is the winner!
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Use rubber bands to secure an empty tissue box to the player’s belt. The box should be centered on the belt to sit right on the player’s behind. Place six ping pong balls into tissue boxes. [15] X Research source
- The player must move their hips however possible to make the ping pong balls fall out of the tissue box in under a minute.
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Place two full boxes of tissues before each player. Have each player stand between their two boxes, with one hand assigned to each box. When the timer starts, the contestants begin removing tissues from the boxes using both hands.
- The player who is first to empty both their boxes of tissues is the winner.
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Place three paper plates on the edge of a table, with half of each one hanging off the edge. Place marshmallows on the sides of the plates furthest from the table edge. The player holds a broom (handle-side up) in one hand and an empty cup in the other.
- When the timer starts, the player lets go of the broom so it falls and hits the part of the plate hanging over the edge.
- Their goal is to hit the plate so that the marshmallow is catapulted into the air, and they can attempt to catch it in their cup.
- To win, the player must catch 3 marshmallows before the 60 seconds is up.
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Cover a piece of bread with peanut butter and place it on a table. The player holds a ping pong ball and, when the timer starts, throws it at the ground. Their goal is to bounce the ping pong ball off the ground and then into the peanut butter-covered bread. [16] X Research source
- Have the player stand about 5–6 feet (1.5–1.8 m) from the table.
- Make sure no one has any peanut allergies before playing this game at the office or in school!
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Each player balances a bucket on their head and stands about 5–6 feet (1.5–1.8 m) from an empty wall. Place a bowl of ping pong balls somewhere within reach of the players. When the timer starts, each player will bounce their ping pong ball on the floor and try to have it rebound off the wall in front of them.
- The player's ultimate goal is to catch the ping pong ball in the bucket that’s balanced on their head.
- For a winning round, the player must catch 3 ping pong balls in the 60 seconds allotted.
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Set up one bottle right-side up with the top off. Place a dollar bill over the mouth of the bottom bottle, then place another open bottle directly on top, with its mouth touching the dollar bill.
- The player must remove the dollar bill from between the two bottles, but they have to start again if the bottles fall over.
- The two bottles must be the exact same size and shape.
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Place a hula hoop about 5 feet (1.5 m) away from the players. At the start of the game, each player blows a bubble and must use only their breath to get it through the hula hoop. They have one minute to blow their bubble toward and through the hula hoop to win!
- You can lean the standing hula hoop against something or have a non-competing player hold it upright.
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Place 6 pieces of dry penne or rigatoni pasta around a table or in a line. Give the contestant a spaghetti noodle and have them place it in their mouth. The player must use only the spaghetti noodle to pick up all six pieces of tubular pasta before their time is up. [17] X Research source
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Make a “fishing pole” by attaching a piece of string to a chopstick with a paperclip at the other end of the string. Bend the paperclip out on one side to create an upward-facing hook. Place four keys on the edge of a table with their handles hanging over the edge.
- The contestant places the chopstick, or “fishing pole,” in their mouth and tries to catch all four keys on the paperclip “hook.”
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Randomly divide 15 small round jingle bells between 5 boxes. Ask the player to pick up and shake each box and guess the number of bells. Then, they must reorganize the boxes based on the number of bells inside.
- The player who can correctly accomplish the task in the shortest amount of time is the winner.
- Due to the bell theme, this is a great Minute to Win It game for Christmas or holiday events.
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Tips
- For parties, the best Minute to Win It games may be Cookie Monster, Suck It Up, and Defy Gravity.Thanks
- Choose an adult Minute to Win It game like Hanky Panky or A Proper Obstacle for your workplace or office.Thanks
- When playing with families (including kids), Nose Dive, Matchmaker, and Cup Stack are all good choices.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://tinybeans.com/the-best-minute-to-win-it-games-for-kids/
- ↑ https://www.eteambuilding.org/team-building-minute-to-win-it-games/
- ↑ https://www.eteambuilding.org/team-building-minute-to-win-it-games/
- ↑ https://www.eteambuilding.org/team-building-minute-to-win-it-games/
- ↑ https://tinybeans.com/the-best-minute-to-win-it-games-for-kids/
- ↑ https://www.eteambuilding.org/team-building-minute-to-win-it-games/
- ↑ https://www.thechaosandtheclutter.com/archives/family-fun-night-minute-to-win-it
- ↑ https://tinybeans.com/the-best-minute-to-win-it-games-for-kids/
- ↑ https://tinybeans.com/the-best-minute-to-win-it-games-for-kids/
- ↑ https://tinybeans.com/the-best-minute-to-win-it-games-for-kids/
- ↑ https://www.eteambuilding.org/team-building-minute-to-win-it-games/
- ↑ https://www.eteambuilding.org/team-building-minute-to-win-it-games/
- ↑ https://www.eteambuilding.org/team-building-minute-to-win-it-games/
- ↑ https://tinybeans.com/the-best-minute-to-win-it-games-for-kids/
- ↑ https://www.eteambuilding.org/team-building-minute-to-win-it-games/
- ↑ https://tinybeans.com/the-best-minute-to-win-it-games-for-kids/
- ↑ https://tinybeans.com/the-best-minute-to-win-it-games-for-kids/
About This Article
This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu
and by wikiHow staff writer, Sophie Burkholder, BA
. Ashton Wu is a Game Expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been viewed 60,680 times.
1 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 4
Updated: June 12, 2024
Views: 60,680
Categories: Fun Activities
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 60,680 times.
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