If you're having grandkids, nieces, nephews or friends' children over for New Year, we've put together some simple but involving games to keep them entertained until their magic hour. You can stagger them across the evening or run them consecutively like a mini Olympics. Even the adults might like to have a go.
BANANA BUMP
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You'll need:
1 banana and 1 orange for each player |
Place a circle of paper about 20 cms (8") in the centre of the room and have the players form a wide circle around it at equal distances. The goal is to push the orange onto the paper circle with the banana. The task becomes more difficult and fun because the bananas are tied to the players' waists, about 30cms (1 ft) from the ground. Players cannot use their hands. The first to succeed at getting their orange onto the paper circle is the winner.
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MARBLE RELAY RACE
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You will need to save up some empty, cardboard paper towel rolls – one for every two players. Cut the paper towel rolls lengthwise down the middle to create a trough. Divide your group into two or more teams of ten or fewer players. Half of a team is on one side of the room and half on the other. The goal is to use the cardboard to transfer a marble back and forth until the entire team’s members have completed the race. If the marble is dropped, that player must start over.
Variation: If your group is small, have them form one line and pass the marble. Anyone who drops the marble is out and the last player remaining wins the game. Courtesy: icebreakerideas.com |
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SWEET SUCKERS
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You'll need:
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Empty some bags of M&Ms into a large bowl. Players sit in a circle around the large bowl. Everyone rolls the dice to see who goes first with the highest total winning. That player begins to transfer an M&M, one at a time, from the large bowl into his or her small bowl by sucking them with the straw. The player to their right continues to roll the dice. Players cannot use their hands to hold the bowl, but must keep them behind their backs. Each player can continue to suck and transfer the M&Ms until the player to their right rolls any double with dice. After every player takes a turn, the one with the most M&Ms wins the game.
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FIND THE CLOCK
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Hide an alarm clock someplace in the room. Set it to ring in five minutes. Challenge the kids to find it before it does.
Another variation of this game is to hide several clocks and set them all to ring at same time. Once they start ringing, kids have to find them all and turn them off while someone counts down from 10 to one (or more depending on the number of clocks). |
MINI MARSHMALLOW POPPERS
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You'll need:
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