20 of the best hilariously fun minute to win it games for kids & adults. Great fun for birthday parties, family fun night, school parties of just fun party games. Fun Minute to Win it Games for the holidays, too!
20 Easy & Fun Minute to Win it Games for the WIN
Looking for fun minute to win it party games for kids at school, to have at child’s birthday party, Christmas minute to win it themed games, or simply a fun, competitive family game night? You’re in the right spot!
Minute to Win it games are great for kids of all ages and when adults who get in on the action, it’s a guaranteed good time. Plus, these 20 minute to win it games are fairly easy and simple to set up, and hold everyone’s attention through fits of giggles and non-stop laughter.
The best part is that each game is easily adjustable for skill level, number of players, age groups, location (such as in a classroom, at the kitchen table, or park) and depending on how competitive you want to make, or not make the Minute to Win it games.
It’s easy to customize the games to fit all your needs.
For example, at a birthday party, you may want to only do 4-5 fun party games and keep the time short based on kids who have a shorter attention span.
However, for a minute to win it face off with adults who tend to be a tad more competitive than 6-year-olds, 10-12 games can easily fill up an hour and keeping a scoreboard may be a more appropriate way to go.
If you google “minute to win it games” you’re likely to find thousands of them which is overwhelming!
I know because I did that too, but after combing through hundreds and having some experience with these style games for my kid’s class parties at school and a family-face off during a summer reunion, I’ve narrowed down the selection to the most fun, easiest to assemble, and the ones that had my kids (and the adults) jumping up and down screaming in excitement.
Beware: You might be surprised by how much of a competitive side they’ll bring out in everyone involved.
These 20 Easy Minute to Win it Games for kids & adults will work at your next party, or if it’s just siblings squaring off at home.
Where Does the Minute to Win it Game Concept Come From?
The competitive concept of Minute to Win it began with a fun TV show on NBC called Minute to Win It with Guy Fieri. On the show, each contestant was given just one minute to finish a task or game and contestants would try to win 10 rounds of these one-minute games for the grand prize.
When a timer is going for 60 seconds, the intensity level kicks up a notch and what is thought of as simple games, suddenly turns into fast and furious manuevering of skill and think-on-your-toes strategizing and decision making.
Are Minute to Win it Games Easy & How They Work?
As the name implies, players only have one minute to compete and hopefully, finish the task ahead of them. Often the task will seem relatively easy, but once you begin, you quickly find out how challenging they actually are.
You can award points to completed activities, as well as points for number of items completed within the 60 seconds, based on which minute to win it games you choose to play.
These off-the-wall silly games are great fun and usually have everyone holding their sides from laughing so hard. I dare you to try not to laugh!
20 Hilarious Minute to Win it Games for Kids (and Adults Who Like Having Fun!)
1. Face the Cookie Challenge
This is a universally known minute to win it game, and good one to start with when you’re just breaking into Minute to Win it games!
The object of the game is to use a single cookie or oreo, and start by placing it on the forehead. The player then has 60 seconds to move the cookie/oreo from the forehead to their mouth without using any hands or outside objects. This one can be pretty funny to watch as faces scrunch up, stretch and distort in order to move the item carefully. It’s a great game for a lot of players to play at once, too! Idea from Catching Fireflies Gifts.
Here’s What You Need:
- A bag of Oreos or Cookies
Photo Credit: Happy Mom Hacks
2. Puddle Jumper with Ping Pong Balls
Here’s how the game Puddle Jumper works. Set a row of plastic cups up in a line touching one another. Fill each cup up with water fully (fill the water to the top). Set one ping pong ball on the first cup in the row. Each child will need to blow the ping pong ball from the first cup, to the second, and so on.
The goal of this minute to win it game is to get the ping pong ball from one cup to the end, landing safely on the last cup without blowing it off.
Step up the game by making it a numbers game! If a player reaches the end before the 60 seconds is up, they can start a new ping pong ball back on the first cup. The goal of playing the game this way is to the see who moves the most ping pong balls through the line in one minute.
Here’s What You Need:
- Plastic Cups
- Ping Pong Balls (if you’re running multiple games at once, take this into account the number of ping pong balls you’ll need.)
3. It’s a Traffic Yam!
Push a sweet potato or regular potato (the less rounded it is the better) across the floor from one side of the room to another with just your nose. You can also theme this for a holiday with an object relative to that holiday.
Use carpet tape to indicate a starting line and finish line!
Here’s What You Need:
- Regular or Sweet Potatoes (remember if you’re running more than one game at a time, to have enough potatoes for players.)
Photo Credit: Sunflower Mom
4. Peep Face Game
Got extra peeps? We love this twist on the cookie minute to win it that’s a fun game for kids around Easter time.
Sunflower Mom gives her little chicks one minute to stick as many peeps as they can to their face! Her little bunnies dfeinitely think this is a funny game, and yours might too.
Nowadays, peeps are made for more than just Easter. If you see any at the store around Halloween or the Holidays, this would make a great game for classroom parties, holiday parties and get togethers.
Here’s What You Need:
5. Ponginator
For this fun game, you’ll need an empty egg carton and 12 ping pong balls. The goal of this minute to win it game is to bounce as many ping pong balls into the egg carton within one minute. If 12 ping pong balls seems too difficult, lower the number to 8 or even 6 based on age appropriateness.
Here’s What You Need:
- Ping Pong Balls (if you’re running multiple games at once, take this into account the number of ping pong balls you’ll need.)
6. Blow it Down
Each player has one minute to blow up a balloon (with their own air) and then use the air inside the balloon to knock over all 24 plastic cups arranged on on the edge of a table. If there is still time left on the clock, they can set the cups up again and see how many total cups they can blow over. If the ball falls over the edge, you have to start over!
You can adjust the number of cups based on age appropriateness and skill. For example, a child whose 6 might not be able to blow up a balloon multiple times so a smaller number of cups to blow over would be best.
Here’s What You Need:
7. Keep it in the Air
With one hand behind the child’s back, they’ll need to do their best to keep two blown balloons in the air for 60 seconds. No hands allowed! You can adjust the difficultly be adding a balloon or two, or taking away a balloon for young children. From Happy Mom Hacks.
Here’s What You Need:
- Inflatable Balloons (already blown up for the game.)
Photo Credit: Ginger Snap Crafts
9. The Go Fish Favorite Minute to Win it Game for Kids
Whether it’s crackers or mini marshmallows, this is a fun game for kids of all ages (and don’t forget the adults, too!). You’ll need straws and two paper plates or bowls. Players have 60 seconds to see how many goldfish or marshmallows they can transfer from one play to the other using only the suction from the straw and no hands!
I’ve seen some minute to win it games that use dried pasta, penne noodles or cereal, such as fruit loops to do this game. WHatever you have on hand will work just great.
Here’s What You Need:
- Straws
- Goldfish (or mini marshmallows work, too!)
- Plates or bowls
10. Chop Stick Race
Using only chopsticks, the race is on to get the most cereal or any sort of round supplies you have on hand (Kix, Cheerios, Jelly Beans, Dry Beans, Fruit Loops, Candy Corn, Conversation Hearts, Dried Pasta) from one bowl to the other in just one minute!
Here’s What You Need:
- Chopsticks
- Round cereal or food of your choice (Kix, cheerios, jelly beans, dry beans)
Photo Credit: From Paging Fun Mums
11. Things are Getting Dicey
The kids over at Paging Fun Mums try to see how many dice they can get on the stick in one minute (the most dice wins!). This stack attack can get a little tricky but it’s super fun to watch!
Here’s What You Need:
12. Lumpy Apple Stack
Give each player five apples and a minute to see if they can get all five of the lumpy fruits in a single stack on top of each other in 60 seconds or less. Let’s see if they can outsmart gravity for 60 seconds!
Here’s What You Need:
- 5 apples of your choice for each player
13. Faster than the Egyptians
You can do this is a single-player or a partner game. Each person/team will receive a stack of 36 plastic cups. Then, working together or solo, they only have one minute to build a pyramid, break it back down and re-stack the cups. This isn’t as easy as it looks, especially with partners trying to work together!
Here’s What You Need:
Photo Credit: Happy Mom Hacks
14. Ping Pong Ball Transfer
One player at a time with one minute on the clock, has to move 6 ping pong balls from one plate to the other using a plastic spoon held in their mouth. You can adjust the number of ping pong balls you use based on how players are doing and also age appropriateness. The goal is to see who can move the most ping pong balls to the other plate in one minute. From Happy Mom Hacks.
Here’s What You Need:
- Ping Pong Balls
- Spoons
15. Look, Ma, No Hands!
Each player wears a set of oven mitts and must unwrap pieces of candy. Whoever can unwrap the most candy in a minute is the winner. You can also do this with a wrapped present, or wrapped item in cellophane wrap or wrapping paper.
Here’s What You Need:
- Item to unwrap (candy, present, random object from your house)
- Oven mitts
16. Blindfolded Cotton Ball Scoop
Sprinkle cotton balls on a table around a centrally located bowl. Give a player a spoon and blindfold them. They have a minute to find cotton balls and put them in the bowl.
Here’s What You Need:
- Blindfold
- Spoon
- Bowl
Photo Credit: Housing a Forest
17. Junk in the Trunk
Strap an open tissue box full of ping pong balls around the waist and onto the back of each player. The timer begins counting down from 6o seconds and the goal is to shake, jump, and move and get as many ping pong balls out of the box as possible. Minute to Win It Game from Housing a Forest.
Here’s What You Need:
- Empty Kleenex Boxes
- Belts to Hold the Kleenex Boxes
Photo Credit: Happiness is Homemade
18. Movin’ On Up
Each player starts with a stack of 25 red cups with one blue cup at the top of the stack.
Start by moving the top blue cup to the bottom of the stack, and continue moving cups from the top to the bottom until the blue cup is back at the bottom of the stack again. The adult version calls for 40 cups, but you can modify for children, ability, and adults. From Happiness is Homemade.
Here’s What You Need:
- Plastic Cups in two different colors
19. The Paper Bag Game
Place a brown paper lunch or grocery sack opened up on the floor — One for each player. When the clock starts, players must squat down, bite onto the paper bag and pick it up without falling or touching the floor. Once the person is standing, they tear off the part of the bag that their lips touched, place it back on the floor and start over. This, of course, gets harder as the bag gets shorter.
You could also use a cereal box or tissue box if you have these around the house instead.
Here’s What You Need:
- Large paper Bag from the grocery store
Photo Credit: The Dating Divas
20. Post It Note Face Challenge
Something tells me this minute to win it games looks a lot easier than it is!
In 60 seconds, see how many post-it notes you can make stick to your face (without falling off, or laughing too hard!) See a list of World Record Date ideas on Dating Divas.
Here’s What You Need:
Even More Fun Minute to Win it Games & Fun Activities for Kids:
- 12 Minute to Win it Games for Kids for the School Classroom
- 12 Laugh-Out-Loud Minute To Win It Christmas Games for Kids
- 15 Best Games for Family Fun Night at Home (Minimal Supplies Needed!)
- 8 Fun Games To Play Outside At Night With Kids
- 15 Best Games for Family Fun Night at Home (Minimal Supplies Needed!)
- Ultimate List of 40 Best Family Night Ideas to Try With Kids
- Best Board Games for Kids and Families to Play Together
- 18 Simple & Fun Quiet Games for Kids to Take Anywhere