Archives for April 2020

Are you ready for a challenge? Well, you've only got a minute to win it in these great activities! Minute to win it is a game show on evening tv where contestants only have a minute to win each activity to earn cash at the end of the night. In this version, your prizes can be anything you want and you can structure the game any way you like it or that suites the person participating! This can also be done in teams and or on individual bases. If working in teams there will be ones you can make where they both participate or one participant is chosen between the two of them.

All activities should be timed and last no longer than a minute unless you play two minutes to win it or whatever adaptation you have.

Size of Group:  2-6

Equipment: DIY materials for specific activities. The score sheet (linked here) or make one of your own!

Objective: Teamwork, Sportsmanship, Creativity, Problem Solving, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and encourage laughter and fun

Description: A minute seems like a long long time when you are bored and doing nothing but when you are pressed for time such as in these activities to complete a task it passes way faster than you want. Here is the description of a few of the activities you can include with your minute to win it challenges. You can always add new ones or adapt to any activity as needed. More games and Ideas can be looked up on Pinterest. Ideas are listed below and do not match the scorecards pictured.

 

Penny Stack- One person

Players have one minute to stack as pennies with one hand as they can. It’s harder than you may think!

The winner is the person who has the highest stack after one minute. If there aren't many people who will be able to compete and one person is more able than another you can set different numbers to be stacked by each individual.

 

 

 

 

 

Marshmallow Toss- One to two people

Participants can partner up and stand across from each other, about 2-4 feet apart.

One person has a handful of marshmallows and the other has a small paper cup. Students have one minute to toss as many marshmallows into the cup as possible.

When one person is doing the activity set the cup up on the ground or a table 3 -4 feet apart and have them throw mini marshmallows into the cups. The highest amount wins or set a limit they must reach.

 

Cereal Puzzle

What You Need – 1 Empty Box of Cereal

How to Play – Cut up a cereal box into small pieces and see who can reassemble it back in 1 minute. Tip – Use a pencil on the back to draw out pieces before you cut it up

 

Stack Attack

How to Play – First, split cups into two groups (21 each) and have participants compete against each other or the clock. You have one minute to unstack the cups and create a pyramid then restack the cups back into each other. Use the timer on your phone for this and write down the time as they finish. When all are done, look at the times to find a winner. Just add more cups if you want to have more than two people compete. Tip: when stacking cups up, don’t press them tightly together or they can be hard to get apart

 

 

 

 

 

Mummy Wrap

What You Need – Roll of Toilet Paper – how many you need is based on how many teams you have. Each team needs a roll.

How to Play – Each team has two wrappers and one individual to be wrapped with toilet paper. Players roll the toilet paper around the person until they are totally covered minus the eyes and mouth. If the paper breaks start again at the bottom or try and tie the paper together. This one can be a pretty hilarious group game.

Tip: You could use colored streamers instead of toilet paper to match a holiday theme such as red for Valentine’s Day.

 

Defy Gravity

What You Need – Two Balloons Per Team

How to Play – Players keep one hand behind their back and try to keep two balloons up in the air for one minute. Adjust how difficult this game is by adding or taking away balloons.

You could decide to make it more challenging by adding in something to help keep the balloons in the air such as a noodle or a stick of some sort.

 

We all have something to say and sometimes do not know how to say it or when. Discussion cubes allow us to create opportunities to get to know one another in a fun interactive way.

Size of Group: 1-20

Equipment: Discussion Cubes (Link to download is here Discussion Cube Document ), Chairs in a circle

Objective: Social Skills, Personal Reflection, Conversation Skills, Express feelings, Have Fun, Interactive

Description: The discussions cubes need to be printed and cut out then we glue them together on each of the tabs. One they dry, you will be able to roll them on the ground or the table. The discussion topic for whoever rolled it will be the one facing the ceiling. Participants will answer a question or talk about the topic and choose someone to roll the cube in the group once they are finished. A blank cube is included to make up your own ideas. If someone rolls a topic twice then roll again or you can have them choose a new topic

Download the Discussion Cube Document here!

Mac and Cheese is an American staple, on most every table a few times a week. But why not spice it up a bit and get everyone involved? This is a simple recipe and fun for everyone.

Size of Group: 1-3 (Plus Adult/Guardian Supervision)

Equipment: One pot, 1 large bowl, 3 cups noodles, 1 cup shredded cheese of various kinds (discretionary but we suggest at least two different kinds, like Cheddar and Monterey), 2 table spoon butter, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 1 cup bread crumbs or potato chips.

Objective: Learn cooking skills, measurement/counting, tactile and hand dexterity, teamwork and project completion.

Description: First, boil water on the stove with adult/guardian assistance, when water is boiling add noodles. Once noodles are tended, adults/guardians can assist in draining water from noodles and placing noodles in large bowl. Mix cheese, butter, sour cream and noodles together until you gain the desired consistency and all ingredients are mixed well. Top with crumbled bread/potato chips and a little more shredded cheese. Let sit to melt the top cheese and then serve.

We all need to be physically active, not just for our bodies but for our minds and for fun. The best way to encourage fun, physical activity is to make a game of it! Name your prize and see who can have the most fun during the day.

Size of Group: 1-6

Equipment: Poster board or canvas, markers, stickers or post-it notes.

Objective: Promote physical activity and wellness in participants, sportsmanship in play, socializing and group activity participation. Let participants help design the board and they can work on penmanship and artistic abilities too.

Description: On your board, use the markers to create bingo grid with as many rows and columns as you desire. Next, fill in each box with an exercise activity; anything from swimming, running, basketball, jumping rope, hop-scotch—whatever you’d like that’s a physical activity! Make sure to make the center space a “free” space because this is bingo, after all. Let the participants chose activities and set a time limit before they move on to the next one. Follow the rules of bingo: they have to fill in boxes to make a line across, up-and-down, or diagonal to win. After each activity completed, let them put a sticker or a post-it note with their name on it in the space to track their progress. When a participant completes a full line, they can shout, “BINGO!” and claim a prize.

We all get hungry, and what’s better than some cookies? Kids or adults can agree to participate in this activity because nobody is going to turn down something this delicious and easy to make!

Size of Group: 1-3 (not including parent/adult assistant)

Equipment: Oven, large mixing bowl, 3 small bowls, rubber spatula, 1 sheet parchment or cooking paper, cookie sheet, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar, and 1 egg.

Objective: Participants are given the chance to work as a team towards a goal, follow a set of simple instructions, count and measure, and learn safe practiced for handling food.

Description: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is heating up, mix peanut butter, sugar and the egg into large mixing bowl until smooth. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then place on parchment covered cookie sheet, or use a scoot to create the cookie balls. Use a fork (note: probably not a good idea to use the forks from the fork painting exercise!) to press the balls flat, then press again from the opposite direction, which will create the pattern on the top of the cookie. Bake for 12 minutes and allow to cool for 2 minutes before moving to a safe area to continue cooling. These cookies are chewy and taste great!