Family Game Night- Minute-to-Win-It

By Megan Sapelak

Turn your family night into a game night, filled with fun, easy and competitive games! All games are timed for only one minute and can be played with however many players you desire. Bonus! Each game can be played for fun, competitively among individuals or as a competitive team game. There is no limit to how many rounds you want to play, but make sure you tally up the points to determine a winner!

Cookie Face

Materials Needed: 1 cookie for each player (Vanilla Wafers, chocolate sandwich cookies, or chocolate chip cookies work the best), timer

How to Play:

  1. Start by placing a cookie in the middle of each player’s forehead.
  2. Players must keep their hands behind their backs while trying to get the cookie to move from their forehead to their mouth. The key is to only use your facial muscles!
  3.  Make sure someone uses the timer to shout out when the minute is up!
  4. If the cookie falls on the ground, the player is allowed to pick it up and try again.
  5. Any player that successfully gets the cookie from their forehead to their mouth within 1 minute gets a point for them or their team.

Marshmallow Toss

Materials Needed: 1-2 bags of mini marshmallows, masking tape, plastic cups, partner

How to Play:

  1. Set up for the game by using the masking tape to make lines on the ground to set distance barriers. Set the distance so that it’s appropriate for the age group of the people who will be playing the game, not too far apart and not too close together. Separate your group into pairs to compete in the game. Line each pair up so that one player is behind one marked line and the other player is directly across from them behind the other marked line.
  2. Each player must pick a partner to play the game with. Decide who will be throwing the marshmallows and who will be catching. One player will receive a cup full of marshmallows and the other player will be given an empty cup.
  3. Once all teams have been formed, players will take their positions facing each other behind each line.
  4. One player will toss marshmallows one by one to the player on the other side. The receiving player will catch the marshmallows with their cup. (No hands, feet, or cups are allowed to go over the barrier line.)
  5. Once time has ended the team with the most marshmallows caught wins.
  6. Switch roles and play again if desired.

Junk in the Trunk

Materials Needed: 1 empty tissue box for each player or team, 1 belt or thick ribbon for each player or team, 6-8 ping pong balls for each team/player, X-ACTO knife, timer

How to Play:

  1. Parents, set up the game by using an X-ACTO knife to make two slits into each side of the bottom of the empty tissue boxes. Slide a belt or thick ribbon through the two slits to attach the tissue box to the belt or ribbon.
  2. Remove the thin plastic barrier from the tissue box opening to make the game easier (for younger children) or keep it intact for a more challenging game.
  3. Each player will strap the tissue box onto their lower back and ll it with 6-8 pingpong balls.
  4. Set the timer for one minute and have the player shake or jump around until all of the balls have fallen out of the tissue box. (No using your hands and no laying down.)
  5. All players that have successfully emptied their box get a point for themselves or their team.

Cotton Nose

Materials Needed: 1-3 bags of cotton balls (depending on how many players), Vaseline, Q-Tips, 2 plastic bowls, table and a timer

How to Play:

  1. Place two bowls horizontally adjacent to one another on the table in front of each player. Make sure the bowls are about one foot a part from one another.
  2. Each player will fill one of their bowls with cotton balls and leave the other bowl remaining empty.
  3. Pass around a jar of Vaseline. Each player can use a Q-Tip to scoop as much or as little as they would like and rub onto their nose.
  4. Once all players are ready, place hands behind the back and set a timer to one minute.
  5. Using only their nose, each player must grab cotton balls one by one and transfer them to the other bowl by wiggling their nose.
  6. Player or team that successfully transfers the most amount of cotton balls from one bowl to the other wins!

Safety comes first! Be careful of choking hazards by cleaning up any stray marshmallows or small pieces on the floor when finished.