Looking for a quick, easy, and affordable way to have fun with your students? Classroom Minute to Win It Games are a great way to do this. These Minute to Win It classroom challenges will add excitement in a short amount of time.
How to Play Minute to Win It in a Classroom
Minute to Win it Games get their name because they take 1 minute to play. You need to decide several things before you are ready to play.
Things to Decide Before Playing
- Number of games you will play
- How students will be grouped
- The way you will explain the games
The number of games you will play depends on the amount of time you have. For example, do you want to play some in the morning and some in the afternoon? Do you want to play one between each of the day’s activities? or Do you want to fill a set amount of time? Once you know when and how many games you will be playing, decide how students will play. Students can play individually, in pairs, or in teams. After grouping students, it’s time to explain the games. Explain the games verbally, using a printed-out picture example, or on a screen using slides such as these.
Minute to Win It kid games can also be scored in several ways. It is easiest to see who can complete the task within the minute in the younger grades. You can use this same method with everyone or add a math component using points. For example, pretend your class played a game; the first student to finish within the minute might get 3 points while all other students who finished within the minute earn 1 point. You earn no points for that game if you do not complete the task in a minute. After playing all the games, add the total, and the player/team with the most points is the overall winner.
When to Use Classroom Minute to Win It Games
The beauty of Minute to Win It in the classroom is that teachers can use the games anytime. There are no rules! Use them as a back-to-school activity to build classroom community or an end-of-the-year activity to celebrate and come together. They would also work great for a classroom reward or party. Each game is quick, making them easy to spread throughout the day or use several to fill a chunk of time.
Where Do I Get Things for Classroom Minute to Win It Games?
Since you can choose the games you play, you also control what you need. You can use things already in your home or classroom for many classroom Minute to Win It Games. Dollar Tree is my favorite place to grab things for Minute to Win It in the classroom when I don’t have what I am looking for. I don’t break the bank this way, but I’m also not limited to only the stuff I have lying around. I don’t mind spending a few dollars because I can use most of the stuff I purchase again.
What Are Some Minute to Win It Classroom Challenges
1. Stack Attack
Materials: 10 cups per player/team
How to Play: Race to stack and unstack the 10 cups in one minute
2. Penny Hose
Materials: A pair of pantyhose and 2 pennies per play/team
How to Play: Place a penny in each toe of every pair of pantyhose. Students have one minute to get the pennies out of the pantyhose.
3. Post-it Note Cover Up
Materials: Post-it Notes
How to Play: Race to place a set amount of post-its on another person’s face in one minute.
4. Stack it Up
Materials: Pennies
How to Play: Players use one hand to stack a set amount of pennies in one minute.
5. Defying Gravity
Materials: Balloons
How to Play: Players attempt to keep a balloon in the air without touching the ground for the whole minute.
6. Cookie Face
Materials: Oreos or another cookie
How to Play: Place the cookie on your forehead. Players can only move their faces as they try to move the cookie from their forehead to their mouth.
7. Ball Drop
Materials: Ping Pong Balls and a cups
How to Play: Students stand on the ground or a chair and drop ping pong balls into a cup on the ground.
8. Junk in the Trunk
Materials: Tissue boxes, ping pong balls, and a belt or tie
How to Play: Attach the tissue box filled with ping pong balls around the player’s waist. Players will shake their bodies and move to try and get all of the ping pong balls out of the box in one minute.
9. Ball Bounce
Materials: Ping-pong balls and cups
How to Play: Place 1-3 cups at the end of tables. Players stand at the opposite ends of the table and try to bounce the balls into the cups. Try to get 3 balls into the cups in one minute.
10. Ping Pong Pass
Materials: Ping-pong balls, bowls, and spoons
How to Play: Players use a spoon to move ping pong balls from one bowl to another in one minute.
11. Nutstacker
Materials: Nuts and tweezers or chopsticks
How to Play: Players race to stack a set amount of nuts in one minute using tweezers or a chopstick.
12. Pom Pom Pass
Materials: Pom poms, bowls, and spoons
How to Play: Players use a spoon to move pom poms from one bowl to another in one minute.
13. Flip It
Materials: Cups
How to Play: Line up a set amount of cups top down along the table’s edge. Players will race to use their fingers and flip the cups back upright in one minute.
14. Wrap It Up
Materials: Streamers or toilet paper
How to Play: Race to wrap up another player in one minute.
Classroom Minute to Win It games can be used year-round. Change them up slightly and use themed materials, and you can play Valentine Minute to Win It Games, Halloween Minute to Win It Games, St. Patrick’s Day Minute to Win It Games, and more!
Read more about classroom minute to win it games here:
The Top 11 Minute to Win It Games for Classrooms
