19 “Minute to Win It” Games for Kids
“Minute to Win It” games for kids are fast, exciting one-minute challenges using simple items like cups, balloons, or other simple materials.
Kids race to complete tasks, like stacking cups or transferring objects, within the time limit. Here are some ideas for “minutes to win it” games for kids!
Minute to Win It Games for Kids
1. Johnny Applestack
Materials Needed: A flat surface, apples
How to Play: Place 5 apples in front of each kid. Kids need to create a tower using said apples using only one hand within one minute. The tower must stand without support for at least 3 seconds.
2. Sticky Situation
Materials Needed: Ping pong balls, bread, peanut butter
How to Play: Spread peanut butter on bread, and kids bounce ping pong balls to land on the sticky surface. The one with the most successful landings in a minute is the winner.
3. Cup to Cup
Materials Needed: Plastic cups, buckets
How to Play: Line up kids with buckets at each end. They must pass a cup filled with water over their heads, transferring it from one bucket to another. The first team to reach the mark on the bucket wins.
4. Sock the Block
Materials Needed: LEGO blocks, socks
How to Play: Build LEGO block towers and scatter them. Kids use balled-up socks to knock down all five towers within a minute. The quickest tower-topplers win.
5. Puddle Jumper
Materials Needed: Plastic cups, water
How to Play: It’s safer to do this outdoor. Kids use a spoon to transfer water from one cup to another, creating a “puddle.” The one who transfers the most water within a minute is the champion puddle jumper.
6. Spoon Frog Hop
Materials Needed: Plastic spoons, toy frogs
How to Play: Place toy frogs in a line. Kids use a spoon to flick the frogs forward, aiming to cover the most distance in one minute. The farthest-hopping frog wins.
7. Stack Attack
Materials Needed: Plastic cups
How to Play: Kids have one minute to stack plastic cups into a pyramid and then carefully take them down. The fastest and most accurate stacker is the winner.
8. Cookie Face
Materials Needed: Cookies, facial cream
How to Play: Apply a little facial cream on kids’ faces. They must move a cookie from their forehead to their mouth without using hands, using only facial muscles. The one who finishes first wins.
9. Balloon Pop
Materials Needed: Balloons, string
How to Play: Attach balloons to kids’ ankles with a string. The goal is to pop others’ balloons while protecting their own. The last one with an intact balloon wins.
10. Marshmallow Catapult
Materials Needed: Plastic spoons, marshmallows
How to Play: Kids use plastic spoons as catapults to launch marshmallows into a container. The one who successfully lands the most marshmallows in the container within a minute is the champion.
11. Penny Tower
Materials Needed: Pennies, paper plates
How to Play: Kids stack pennies on a paper plate to create the tallest tower. The one with the highest penny tower at the end of one-minute wins.
12. Cup Pyramid Shuffle
Materials Needed: Plastic cups
How to Play: Kids arrange a pyramid of cups, then shuffle them around the table using only one hand. The fastest to complete the shuffle in one minute is the winner.
13. Hula Hoop Challenge
Materials Needed: Hula hoops
How to Play: Kids must pass a hula hoop around the circle without letting go of each other’s hands. Gradually add more hoops for added challenge. The team that successfully passes the most hoops in one minute wins.
14. Straw Race
Materials Needed: Drinking straws, lightweight objects (e.g., pom-poms)
How to Play: Kids use straws to blow lightweight objects across a table from one end to the other. The one who finishes first or covers the most distance in one minute is the winner.
15. Defying Gravity
Materials Needed: Balloons, string
How to Play: Kids keep a balloon in the air using only one hand. The one who keeps the balloon in the air the longest (within a minute) is the winner.
16. Cotton Ball Scoop
Materials Needed: Cotton balls, spoons, bowls
How to Play: Kids use a spoon to scoop cotton balls from one bowl and transfer them to another. The one who transfers the most cotton balls within a minute is the champion.
17. Ping Pong Madness
Materials Needed: Ping pong balls, plastic cups
How to Play: Kids bounce ping pong balls onto the table, aiming to land them inside plastic cups. The one with the most successful shots within one minute wins.
18. Straw Tower
Materials Needed: Drinking straws, playdough
How to Play: Kids use straws and playdough to construct the tallest tower. The one with the highest straw tower at the end of one minute wins.
19. Jellybean Pick-Up
Materials Needed: Jellybeans, chopsticks
How to Play: Kids use chopsticks to pick up jellybeans and transfer them from one bowl to another. The one who moves the most jellybeans within a minute is the winner.
