Minute to Win It activities are short, engaging games designed to be completed within a minute.
These activities are often used in various settings, from parties to classrooms and the workplace.
They are a fun and effective way to break the ice, foster team building, and promote healthy participant competition.
In the workplace, Minute to Win It activities are particularly beneficial.
They can serve as a refreshing break from the daily routine, helping to reduce stress and improve employee morale. We hear this from customers that regularly use our training courses.
Moreover, these activities can enhance team members’ communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, contributing to a more productive and harmonious work environment.
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Defining Minute to Win It Activities
Minute to Win It activities are games or challenges that must be completed within a 60-second timeframe.
The term originated from the popular television game show “Minute to Win It,” where contestants had to complete a series of tasks within one minute to win prizes.
These activities are typically simple, requiring minimal resources, and can be easily adapted to suit different group sizes and settings.
Why Minute to Win It Activities Matter in the Workplace
In the fast-paced corporate world, it’s easy for employees to feel overwhelmed and disconnected. Minute to Win It activities offer a quick and enjoyable way to break down barriers and foster a sense of community. They encourage employees to interact and collaborate in a relaxed, non-work-related context, which can lead to stronger relationships and improved teamwork. Furthermore, these activities can stimulate creativity and problem-solving skills, which are valuable assets in any workplace.
12 Minute to Win It Activities
Here are 12 engaging Minute to Win It activities that you can easily implement in your workplace:
1. Pencil Back Flip
Steps Required: Participants must flip a pencil from the back of their hand and catch it in mid-air as many times as possible within a minute.
Resources Needed: Pencils
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Encourage participants to start slow and gradually increase their speed.
2. Stack Attack
Steps Required: Participants must stack 36 plastic cups into a pyramid and then de-stack them into a single stack within a minute.
Resources Needed: 36 plastic cups per participant
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Remind participants to focus on balance and control rather than speed.
3. Cookie Face
Steps Required: Participants must move a cookie from their forehead to their mouth using only their facial muscles.
Resources Needed: Cookies
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Encourage participants to use their eyebrows, cheeks, and nose to slowly move the cookie.
4. Junk in the Trunk
Steps Required: Participants must shake ping pong balls out of a tissue box tied to their waist.
Resources Needed: Tissue boxes, ping pong balls
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Encourage participants to use a variety of movements to get the balls out.
5. Defying Gravity
Steps Required: Participants must keep three balloons in the air for one minute.
Resources Needed: Balloons
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Remind participants to use gentle taps to keep the balloons in the air.
6. Speed Eraser
Steps Required: Participants must bounce erasers off a table into a cup.
Resources Needed: Erasers, cups
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Encourage participants to adjust their bouncing technique based on their initial attempts.
7. This Blows
Steps Required: Participants must blow up a balloon and use the air to knock over cups.
Resources Needed: Balloons, plastic cups
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Remind participants to position the cups close to the edge of the table.
8. Paper Dragon
Steps Required: Participants must unroll two rolls of party streamers using only their hands.
Resources Needed: Party streamers
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Encourage participants to use both hands to unroll the streamers.
9. Dizzy Mummy
Steps Required: Participants must wrap themselves in toilet paper by spinning around.
Resources Needed: Rolls of toilet paper
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Remind participants to maintain a steady pace to avoid getting too dizzy.
10. Noodling Around
Steps Required: Participants must pick up six pieces of penne pasta with a spaghetti noodle held in their mouth.
Resources Needed: Penne pasta, spaghetti noodles
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Encourage participants to focus on one piece of pasta at a time.
11. Ping Tac Toe
Steps Required: Participants must bounce ping pong balls into a grid to get three in a row.
Resources Needed: Ping pong balls, grid (can be drawn on a table or made with tape)
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Remind participants to aim carefully before bouncing the balls.
12. Elephant March
Steps Required: Participants must knock over bottles using a baseball inside a pantyhose worn on the head.
Resources Needed: Bottles, baseballs, pantyhose
Time Requirements: 1 minute per round
Number of Participants: Any number
Facilitator Tips: Encourage participants to move their heads in wide, sweeping motions.
Conclusion
Minute to Win It activities are a fantastic way to inject fun and energy into the workplace.
They not only provide a much-needed break from the usual work routine but also foster team building, improve communication, and stimulate creativity.
With the 12 activities outlined in this guide, you’re now equipped to bring the excitement of Minute to Win It to your workplace.
Remember, the goal is to have fun, so encourage laughter, cheer each other on, and most importantly, enjoy the games!
With 30+ years of experience, Catherine Fitzgerald, B.A., M.A., PGDip, founded Oak Innovation in 1995. Catherine received her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s from University College Cork. She holds qualifications in Professional Development And Training from University College Galway. She is completing a second Master’s from University College Cork. Since 1995, clients include Apple, Time Warner, and Harvard University.
