Quick backstory: A few years ago, NBC had a show called Minute to Win It on which contestants had 60 seconds to complete various (and usually hilarious) tasks using household objects in order to win cash prizes. The show is off the air now, but the fun continues with these “minute to win it” games that are perfect for birthday parties, family gatherings or just whenever you need to get the kids out of your hair. All you need is a stopwatch and a few supplies that you probably already have lying around the house.
12 ‘Minute to Win It’ Games for Your Kid’s Next Party
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Published Sep 25, 2018
Twenty20
Cookie Face
Possibly the best (definitely the tastiest) game of all. Participants put a cookie on their forehead and have one minute to get it in their mouth—without using their hands.
Traffic Yam
You have 60 seconds to push a sweet potato across the floor from one side of the room to the other using only your nose. (If your room is small, you could also tally up who can push the sweet potato back and forth the most times.)
Suck It Up
Using a straw, players have to transfer 25 M&Ms from one plate to another in just one minute.
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Penny Hose
Put one penny down each leg of a pantyhose and then give kids one minute to get both pennies out. (It’s more difficult than you think.)
Stack Attack
Using 36 paper or plastic cups, stack them up into a pyramid and then place them into a single stack. (Psst: If this is too challenging, you can change the number of cups to 21.)
Stack It Up
Players have one minute to stack 25 pennies in a column. The catch? They can only use one hand.
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Breakfast Scramble
Cut the front of your favorite cereal box up into small pieces and have players try to put the puzzle back together as quickly as they can.
Junk in the Trunk
Strap an empty tissue box around each player’s back and fill with a couple of Ping-Pong balls. Using any kind of movement (dancing, jumping or crawling is all allowed), players have 60 seconds to get as many balls out of the box as possible—without using their hands.
Sweets Sort
Give participants a pile of 100 multicolored candies (like Skittles or jelly beans) and one minute to sort them by color using their non-dominant hand. The winner has the fewest unsorted candies when the time’s up.
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Flying Feather
Can you blow a feather across the room and into a cup in just one minute? (Spoiler: Probably not. This one’s definitely a challenge.)
Defying Gravity
Using only one hand, players have to keep two balloons from touching the ground for the entire minute. For an extra challenge, use three balloons. This one works best when two players compete against each other (just make sure that there’s enough space to move around).
State of Fun
For a brain teaser, give players 60 seconds to write down as many state capitals as they can. Whoever gets the most right, wins.
