Discover 25 of the best Minute to Win It games that will transform your next family fun night with fast-paced, engaging activities for kids and adults. These games are quick to set up, require minimal supplies, and offer endless fun while promoting family bonding and laughter.
25 Super Easy & Fun Minute to Win it Games for the WIN
Ultimate Minute to Win It Games for Kids & Family Fun Night Ideas
Looking for a simple, hilarious way to add excitement to your next family game night?
Minute to Win It games are the perfect solution and go over great with all ages! These short, action-packed games guarantee laughter, competition, and tons of fun for kids and adults alike. Whether you’re planning a family night, birthday party, school activity, party games for kids at school, Christmas minute to win it themed games or a group event, these easy-to-set-up games require minimal supplies, the options are endless but they promise maximum entertainment and endless 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.
With families often looking for screen-free activities to bond over, Minute to Win It games make the perfect choice for an exciting, fast-paced experience everyone will enjoy.
Just 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.
Why These Quick & Easy Games Are Perfect for Family Fun
Families love Minute to Win It games because they are:
- Quick to Set Up: These games require minimal preparation and simple household items, making them a breeze for busy parents.
- Inclusive for All Ages: They are adaptable for all ages, making them fun for young kids, teens, and adults.
- Great for Large or Small Groups: Whether it’s just the family or a larger group at a party, these games bring everyone together.
- A Time-Saver for Parents: No elaborate planning required! Spend less time setting up and more time enjoying the fun with your family.
Incorporating Minute to Win It games into your family game nights will not only keep your kids entertained, but also help foster a sense of togetherness and friendly competition. They’re screen free and once you start, I guarantee everyone will forget about what movie is playing on the television or whose texting on their phone.
How Easy Are Minute to Win it Games & 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!
25 Best Minute to Win It Games for Family Fun Night
Here’s a list of the top Minute to Win It games that will keep your kids entertained and your family laughing for hours. All these games require only 60 seconds of gameplay, are easy to set up, and use common household items.
1. Cookie Face 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 place a cookie (or Oreo is a popular treat option to use too!) on your forehead and use only your facial muscles to get it into your mouth without using your hands. The player then has 60 seconds to move the cookie/oreo from the forehead to their mouth without using any hands or help from someone else.
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
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.)
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.
You can also replace ping pong balls with marshmallows to make it a little easier.
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.)
- Or Marshmallows
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 (Balloon Keep Up)
With one hand behind the child’s back, they’ll need to do their best to keep two filled balloons in the air for 60 seconds. If either touches the ground, you’re out!
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.)
9. Go Fish with Straws and Suction
Whether it’s crackers, mini marshmallows or skittles, 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!
If you use skittles, players will use a straw to suck Skittles and transfer them to another plate. Whoever transfers the most wins!
Here’s What You Need:
- Straws
- Goldfish (or mini marshmallows work, too!)
- Plates or bowls
10. Chop Stick Challenge
Using only chopsticks, the race is on to transfer small items, like cotton balls, from one bowl to another in under a minute.
Whatever materials you have on hand can work. Some ideas include Kix, Cheerios, Jelly Beans, Dry Beans, Fruit Loops, Candy Corn, Conversation Hearts, and Dried Pasta. See what works the best for your group to transfer items 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)
11. Dice Balance Game
The kids over at Paging Fun Mums try to see how many dice they can stack on the edge of a popsicle stick held in your mouth during the 60 second time limit. Whoever balances the most dice wins. This stack attack can get a little tricky but it’s also nerve-wracking 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:
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
17. Junk in the Trunk
Strap an open tissue box full of ping pong balls tied to your waist of each player and try to shake out all the balls without using your hands. The timer begins counting down from 6o seconds and watch as all the players shake, jump, groove and move to 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
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.
The goal is to get the different colored cup back to the top before the buzzer at 60 seconds sounds.
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
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 and making them all drop!) See a list of World Record Date ideas on Dating Divas.
Here’s What You Need:
21. Penny Tower
Stack pennies as high as possible within 60 seconds using only one hand. Have each participant put their other hand in a pocket or hold it gently behind their back so they aren’t tempted to use it. You can count or measure the stack of pennies when 60 seconds is up, to determine the winner of the group.
22. Paper Plane Flight
Each player folds a paper airplane and has one minute to throw it as far as possible. The farthest plane wins. You can also do this game blindfolded if you have any wiz paper airplane builders.
23. Blindfolded Drawing
With a blindfold on, players must draw an object like a house or a snowman based on verbal instructions from teammates. The most accurate drawing (determined by a judge) wins!
24. Balloon Waddle
Put a balloon between your knees and race to the finish line without popping it or dropping it. You can adjust the length of the course based on age, or make it a back-and-forth style race.
25. Cup Pyramid Knockdown
Set up a pyramid of plastic cups, and using a rubber band and their finger, watch each player try to knock down as many cups as possible. The individual who knows down the most cups in 60 seconds is the winner.
Pro Tips for Hosting a Minute to Win It Game Night
- Preparing Ahead of Time is Key: Before your game night, make sure to gather all the materials and set up stations for each game. You can even do a test run if you’re hosting a group event such as a birthday party, school activity or group event. See if your kids want to sample some of the activities for fun and note the best way to have participants run through them based on your observations.
- Use a Timer: Set a clear timer to add urgency and excitement. You can use a phone app or a kitchen timer for this but hearing the buzz or ticking sound found on some timers adds to the energy of game night.
- Make it a Team Event: For larger groups, splitting into teams adds more competition and keeps everyone involved so no one feels left out and the games don’t drag on as you try to make sure everyone has a turn.
- Rotate Games: Don’t stick with just one game. Rotate through multiple games so everyone gets a chance to shine!
- Prizes for the Winners: Consider offering small prizes or gift certificates for rewards (a cup of ice cream, no chores for the day, 30 minutes extra of tv time, etc.) for the winning team or individual to ramp up the excitement.
Why Minute to Win It Games are Beneficial for Kids
Not only are these games fun, but they also provide developmental benefits for kids. Minute to Win It games:
- Improve Focus: The short time frame helps children practice focusing on tasks quickly, making confident, quick decisions and managing their emotions and actions for a brief time of high focus.
- Boost Coordination: Many of the games enhance hand-eye coordination and motor skills, great for motor skills and coordination.
- Foster Teamwork: Playing in teams encourages cooperation and communication among kids and leadership skills.
To Wrap Things Up…
Minute to Win It games offer an engaging, fast-paced option for family fun nights, birthday parties, and holiday gatherings.
With these easy-to-play, budget-friendly games, your family will enjoy endless laughter and excitement. From the classic games like “Cookie Face” to new ideas like “Paper Plane Flight,” you’ll have everything you need for a night of unforgettable fun!
Don’t forget to gather your household items, set the timer, and let the games begin! Your next family game night is sure to be a hit with these incredible Minute to Win It ideas. Want more minute to win it ideas? Check out below for themed holiday events, ideas perfect for the classroom and minimal supply activities with items you already have at home.
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
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