New Year’s Eve Minute to Win It Games

These are such a hoot. The whole family is definitely going to have a blast with these Minute To-Win It Games to Play at Home. They are perfect for a New Year’s Eve at home, game night, or any fun party. Here’s a look at our action-packed, super fun, New Year’s Eve & Winter Themed Minute To Win It Game Night!:

Minute to Win It Games for New Year’s Eve

These New Year’s Eve Minute to Win It Games are perfect for your upcoming celebrations. Bring the family together to enjoy a rip-roaring good time and welcome the New Year with laughs and love.

What are Minute To Win It Games?

A while back the network NBC hosted a game show called Minute To Win It. Contestants tried to complete challenges in under 1 Minute. When they completed the challenge correctly, they were able to advance to the next level.

Games started out as low-level like level 1 games and moved to higher-level (more difficult) games. The players were there to ultimately win a cash prize.

Some challenges were played out with one player and some were played with two people.

Today, most people play these fun and hilarious games at birthday parties, group events, Christmas celebrations, Thanksgiving holidays, and church functions

How to Play Minute to Win It Games

One Player at a Time Version (Small Groups) –

A player will go up against the clock. Tasks must be completed in under 1 minute. If they perform the task in under one minute – you can award a certain number of points.

Tasks too hard to complete – If another player will go after the participant, then they can compete to see who does the most in under 1 minute. The player that does the best, will get the points.

Playing with Large Groups –

One player per team will go head to head. The players should swap out for each game so everyone has had a turn to compete at least once for their team.

Scoring Minute to Win It Games

• The first team to finish gets the most points – let’s say 3 points for their team
• The second team to finish gets 2 points for their team
• The third team to finish gets 1 point for their team
• Everyone else gets zero points

Here’s what a scoreboard might look like at the end of the night for a Minute To Win It Team Competition

Tip: Using an easel and a big whiteboard is an excellent way to keep track and see how the game is progressing.

Here’s a fun video of SOME of our favorite Minute To Win It Games to Play. All of these Minute To Win It Games can be found here on Kid Friendly Things To Do. Links are found below. More Videos to come…

Game 1: Launching the New Year, also known as Spoon Catapult

 

The object – to catapult spoons into  cups

• We started out with plastic cups, but they tipped over and we resorted to mugs
• They were perfect! The height was just right and they were stable
• We used 3
• Set your spoons up just like the picture so the scoop end is facing you, and the stem is under the other spoon
• You have to catapult the spoons into the cup by pushing down hard on the spoon ends (the part you spoon with)
• This will send the handle of the spoon up, forcing the spoon on top-up into the air (Picture is below)
• we Set a timer for 1 minute, picked 2 players, had them in position, both with the same setup and yelled 3..2…1 – Go!
• The Spoon Catapult is a nice challenging Minute To Win It Game for adults as well as kids

Game 2 Movin’ on Up – Get that promotion or obtain the goal

Object: Get the odd colored cup up to the top of the pile

It may be hard to see, but I colored one of the white rims with a Sharpie – that was our “different” cup

All within 1 minute – Start with the “different colored” cup on top, and holding the stack, place the “different colored” cup at the bottom of the stack  – under the others, then the next cup that is on top goes to the bottom, and next, and the next… until the “different” cup is back at the top

Game 3: Shake it Off! Also known as baby rattle

The object:

Shake all of the marbles and pebbles from one 2 liter plastic bottle into the other – all in under 1 minute

Tips and Tricks for setting up this game:

• We used vase filers (glass marble stones sold in the floral department) the first time we played this game
• *you can also use the more traditional bubble gumballs 
• Use duct tape to connect the two bottles. I made the mistake of using masking tape the first time we played this and it did not hold up
• The traditional game is to have 2 sets of bottles – one for each hand. The first time we played this game, I only had one package of vase fillers, so the players took turns and competed against each other’s time

Playing Shake It Off

• Players should shake the balls down to the other bottle in under one minute

Game 4: The Ball Drop Game – Also called Nose Dive

How to Play Nose Dive or as we called for New Years “The Ball Drop Game”

• Players dip their nose in Vaseline and then pick up a cotton ball with their nose – they walk to the allotted spot and shake the cotton ball into another container
•  Keep going until the timer runs out or you have finished! The first one finished wins
• No hands

Game 5: Knock ‘Em Dead!

Object: Use rubber bands to knock down all of the cups before the 1-minute timer runs out

Difficulty level – medium to high

• This is hard to do, but fun to try
• I had plastic cups already decorated as snowmen left from the Classroom Christmas Parties.
• I threw some plain ones into the mix because I was too lazy to find my orange and black Sharpies

Game 6 Racing Into the New Year

This may be a stretch working this into a winter theme, but warming up with pasta on a cold winter night, sounds good to me

The object:

With No Hands…2 players on one team compete against 2 players on the other team to transfer empty soda cans from one place to another! (the spaghetti noodles have to slide through the hole in the can’s tab)

Difficulty level – medium to high

Tips and Tricks for this fun game

• The big discussion before starting this was, “How many times do they need to successfully walk to the end of the table with pasta in their teeth?”
• So…we had a practice round. We decided “once” was enough because walking with a string of spaghetti and a soda can is tough without breaking the noodles! There were a lot of “do-overs!”
• We also decided to let the players string the noodles through the tab, and start upright off the table..but then – NO HANDS in transferring the soda can.
• No one made it in a minute. This was funny

Game 7: The Cookie Drop

Face the Cookie Game, Cookie Face, or as we called it –

The Cookie Drop (for the Ball Drop New Year’s Eve Theme)

Object: Start with a cookie on your forehead, then, with no hands, work it down your face and into your mouth – in under 1 minute

Difficulty level – medium

This was hysterical!

• We just let the timer go on and on so we could watch this some more

Oh man, this was a great New Year’s Eve! What a blast and wonderful memories. I highly recommend these games. Comment with any questions you have about the games, and I’ll do my best to help you.

And, my sincerest warm wishes for a Happy New Year! 🙂

That’s it for this post on Minute To Win It Games to Play at Home, but…

Check out more Minute To Win It Posts!

~Melissa – Kid Friendly Things To Do