Spin the wheel Christmas minute to win it games
Sixty seconds and a kitchen drawer
The appeal of a timed challenge is that it looks easy and then it isn't. Stacking five cookies on your forehead takes about 20 seconds when it works and exactly never when you are laughing. Most entries need two or three common items, and few need anything bought. A box of cookies, paper cups, a spoon and some ribbon cover about three quarters of the list.
Round one can be everyone against the clock, one player at a time. For bigger groups, split into two teams and give each team the same task at the same time. Clearly say what counts as a success before the timer starts, so the next argument is about how funny it was, not what the rule was.
You can run it as a tournament. Give three points for completing the challenge, one point for getting close, and let the lowest scorers pick the next entry. Adults can add a handicap by using their weaker hand, and small children can have 90 seconds.
What's on this wheel
- Stack five cookies on your brow
- Unwrap a gift wearing oven mitts
- Bounce a ping pong ball into cups
- Move cotton balls with chopsticks
- Build a tower of paper cups
- Hook ten candy canes from a bowl
- Wrap a gift with one hand
- Untangle a string of lights
- Blow a cotton ball across a table
- Stack marshmallows with tweezers
- Balance a spoon with a candy on it
- Hang ten ornaments on a mini tree
- Toss rings onto a bottle
- Tie a bow with your eyes closed
- Nose-push an ornament to a line
- Pass a ring using only toothpicks
- Sort red and green candies
- Pull tissues from a box one by one
- Flip cookies from elbow to mouth
- Keep a balloon in the air
- Stack ten gift boxes
- Stack pennies with your weak hand
- Fill a stocking with socks
- Drop clothespins into a bottle
- Cut a paper snowflake in 60 sec
- Fling a sock into a bucket
- Peel a clementine in one piece
- Pour water between two cups
- Spin a coin and catch it
- Trace a star with your other hand
- Push a pom-pom with a straw
- Carry a snowball on a spoon
- Slide a cookie to your mouth
- Tape bows on a teammate
- Draw a snowman blindfolded
- Flip a bottle upright
Advertisement
Running challenges from the wheel
- Set out a table, a timer on a phone, and the items for three or four challenges. Delete from Entries anything you can't set up.
- A player presses Spin, reads the challenge, and the host says go. Keep the phone timer visible to everyone.
- Record scores on paper: 3 points for a full success, 1 for a partial one. Use Remove from wheel so players don't repeat the same task.
- After 8 to 10 rounds, the highest total wins a small prize such as a candy cane or a bow.
Advertisement
Christmas minute to win it games questions
What do I need for these challenges?
A timer, a table, a pack of cookies, paper cups, ping pong balls, a spoon, a roll of tape and some ribbon. Most of the other items are in a kitchen drawer or a junk drawer.
How many players can take part?
Two to 20 or more. Individual rounds work up to about 8 players, and above that team rounds are quicker. Let each team send one player per challenge.
How should I score it?
Three points for finishing in 60 seconds, one point for a partial attempt, none otherwise. Add up after each round and keep a running tally on a whiteboard or a sheet of paper.
Are these okay for kids?
Most are. For the youngest, skip challenges with small items like pennies or marshmallows and use larger objects. Give children extra time and a helper.
What prizes suit a minute to win it night?
Keep them cheap and silly: a candy cane, a bow for the winner's head, or the right to choose the next challenge. A trophy made from a paper cup and tinsel is plenty for the overall champion.
Advertisement
Similar ready-made wheels
- Christmas Scattergories40 holiday categories to draw each round, from stockings to snow
- Ugly sweater party games36 games and awards, from fashion show to best pun
- Elf on the shelf ideas40 easy elf scenes you can set up in under 5 minutes
- Christmas family activities40 bigger outings and traditions for the weeks before Christmas
- Christmas dinner ideas40 main dishes, from ham and prime rib to a vegetarian Wellington
- New Year's Eve family activities40 ways to celebrate with kids, including early-bedtime options
More random tools
- Random name pickerDraw one or more names, with no repeats.
- Team generatorSplit a list into fair random teams.
- Secret Santa generatorGift draw by private links, no email needed.
- Yes or no wheelA quick yes, no or maybe.
- Random letter generatorA starting letter for Scattergories.
- Random country generatorA country from any continent, with flag and capital.
- Random word generatorNouns, verbs or adjectives, easy or harder, for drawing too.
- Random Bible verseA well-known verse at random, or the verse of the day.
- Random name generatorReal first names and surnames by country, girl or boy.
- Random city generatorA town or city from 12 countries, Europe or the world.
- Random date generatorA date, month, day of the week or time of day.
- Random color generatorA random color with its HEX, RGB and HSL code.
- Random number pickerDraw one or many numbers from any range, no repeats.
- Bingo caller75 or 90 balls, read aloud, with a board for the projector.
- Printable bingo cards75, 90 or word cards, all different, with IDs.
- Raffle ticket generatorNumbered tickets with a stub, ready to print.
- Random seating chartRows of desks, shuffled seats, pairs kept apart.