Star Wars Minute to Win it Games

Every year we like to pick a different theme for our family Christmas party.  This year's theme is Star Wars, so we put together a minute to win it Star Wars Game.  The idea of the game is to train to be a Jedi Master.  

The game is based off of the original Star Wars movies IV, V & VI.   A list of all the games is provided at the bottom.

Please remember to follow me for more amazing games and ideas, and please leave a comment at the bottom.

Divide everyone into two teams. We did boys against girls.  Each team races to see which is better at becoming a Jedi Master by competing in minute to win it Jedi skills tests.   

Here is a scoreboard to keep score.

Scoreboard:

Team Captains:

I found these cute Star Wars vests at the Dollar Tree.  I used them for our team captains.  

Now that you have your captains, it's time to start playing the game.

A true Jedi must be able to use the force to find a lost droid.  A member from each team must leave the room while the team captains hide the droid somewhere in the room.  When the team members come back in the room, their team gives only the clues "hot" or "cold" to find the hidden droid.  Both teams have to look at the same time, so they have to be able to communicate without getting confused by the other team. 

The team that is able to find their droid first wins.

Once you have found your droid you need to learn how to fly a spaceship.  

Each team is given a CD with the top of a water bottle hot glued to the center.  They are also given some balloons.  

Each team has to blow up their balloon and attach it to their spaceship.  The team that can get their spaceship to lift off the ground (table) first, wins.

For this challenge each team had a lightsaber and five glow in the dark necklace rings.  Each team had to put the rings together and then toss the rings from 10 feet away.  

A team mate had to catch the necklaces with a lightsaber.  The team that catches the most of their necklace rings first wins.

A jedi must know how to blow up a death star.  Each team is given a death star with a fork in it and 10 quarters.  The team that can roll the quarter into the fork prongs of the fork first wins.

Death Star Printout:

(print two on card stock)

As Luke found out, you must find your Jedi trainer in the most unlikely sources.   One of your team members is your Yoda trainer, and it's your team's job to discover the inner Yoda.

Each team is given a roll of green crepe paper streamers, two green yoda ears and a roll of tape.  Your team is to find the hidden Yoda in your teammate by using the items provided. 
 The best Yoda in a minute wins.

Yoda Ears Print Out:

(Print two each on green paper)

Sometimes a Jedi's ship can get caught in unusual places such as when the Millenium Falcon was inside a giant worm.  A Jedi must know how to maneuver his ship out of tough situation.

Each team is given a slinky and a ping pong ball.  Two team members hold opposite sides of the slinky 5 feet apart.  They are to get the ping pong ball from one end of the slinky to the other without letting the ball drop through the slinky.  If the ball drops through the team must start over.  Team members can help get the ball through.

Knowing how to shoot a blaster and hit stormtroopers is a must for every Jedi, so target practice is very important.

Each team got their own nerf gun blaster with a set of nerf bullets.  The nerf bullets for each team was a different color.

They shot at trash cans that had stormtroopers taped to the outside.(See picture below).  
The team that got the most nerf bullets in their trash can won.

One of the hazards of being a Jedi is to lose an arm in battle.  For example, both Luke and Darth Vader lost their arm.  

A Jedi must learn to use an artificial arm.

Each team is given a plastic grabber (found at the 99 cent store) 

and a stack of red paper, or blue paper 
(a different color for each team).

The  team folds paper airplanes and then one team member throws the airplanes with the grabber.  The team with the most airplanes on the other side of the couch (or whatever works for you) wins.

When a good friend, such as Han Solo, has been frozen in carbonite, a Jedi must know how to unfreeze them.

Print out the 2 Han Solos and laminate them.  Put them into an ice cube tray and fill with water and freeze.  Give each team an ice cube Han.  The team members can use their breath and their hands to melt the ice cube.   You can do this while you are playing other games if you wish.   
The first team to unfreeze Han Solo wins.

Knowing how to race a speeder across Endor could save a Jedi's life when escaping storm troopers.

Give each team a cut out of an Endor Racer (above) and a straw.   The first team to blow their racer across the table, without falling off the other side, wins.

When a Jedi goes to battle, he could possibly lose his lightsaber, or get it destroyed.  It is necessary for a jedi to know how to create a new lightsaber in case this happens.

Supply each side with a glue stick (for a glue gun), a roll of duct tape, a roll of electrical tape, a pair of scissors and some stick on plastic gems.  Each team is to create a lightsaber.  
Best lightsaber in a minute wins.

In order to defeat a Death Star, a Jedi must know how a Death Star is built.  To do this the Jedi must build a small replica.

Each team is given a can of Pringles.  They are to try to make a Death Star (a ring of pringles) in a minute.  The team with the best ring wins.  Or the team to make the ring first wins.

A Jedi must know how to defeat the Dark Side, like when Luke faced his father Darth Vader.  

A team member from each team uses a lightsaber to keep a black balloon in the air.  There is only one balloon.  One team member hits the balloon, then the opposite team member hits the balloon.  The first team to miss the balloon loses.

The best Jedis need to be recognized for their talents and skill.  Princess Leia recognized all the accomplishments of her team with medals. You should do this also.

Using m&m minis as a base for my trophy, I put a layer of hot glue across the top.  Then I put the paper medallion in the glue and held it until it cooled.  It helps if you cut a little piece off the bottom of the circle to make it flat.  

You could also hang it on a ribbon and put it around the Jedi's neck, just like Leia.  If you did that you might put it on a York Peppermint Patty.

Trophy Printout:
(print on silver or gold cardstock)

I also have a Star Wars BINGO that you can play

Check out many of my other fun Games from Holly's Home.  Just click on the photo to see the link.

Check out all of my fun Minute to Win it games by clicking here.

Cowboy Minute To Win It Games or Pioneer Minute To Win It Games

Here's a fun and easy way to have a western cowboy minute- to-win-it challenge.  My class had so much fun playing these games.  We used it for a pioneer day, but you can use it however you like.  

Pioneer Version:

To use it as a pioneer version scroll to the bottom for additional printouts.  I used mine for a pioneer trail and adapted the games for their travels "On The Trail."

To find a list of all the games to print out scroll to the bottom.

To print anything out just click on the picture and save it into your file, or copy and paste.

Scoreboard

We divided into two teams.  

Here's a scoreboard for you to keep score.

Every cowboy town needs a sheriff.   The items for the sheriff all came from the dollar store.  I bought 2 hats, two gun holsters, two bandanas and it even came with a badge and a mustache.  Each team picked a person to be the sheriff and a deputy to help the sheriff get dressed.

The team who's sheriff got dressed the fastest won.

Since we didn't have a lot of room I just attached cattle heads to the top of wooden skewers.  I gave each team a package of glow necklaces.  They had to connect the necklaces and then throw them over the cattle heads.  The team that got the most in a minute won.

Here's the cattle heads:

Or you can get really fancy and build a cactus ring toss.  

This one was built by my son, but unfortunately he lives too far away for me to borrow.  He is very talented!  Check out his web page MAW Happens.

What's a Cowboy party without a good old fashion shoot out?

We used nerf guns and shot plastic cups.  The team that got the most cups down in a minute won.

For this challenge I got a set a small plastic farm animals from the dollar store.  Each team had to use spoons to herd their animals from one side of the room to the other.  The team with the most animals in the corral in a minute won.

What true cowboys doesn't like a competitive game of marbles in their leisure time?   Each team got a set of marbles to roll into the middle of the campfire ring.  The team with the most marbles in a minute won.

Campfire ring printout:

Each cowboy sits across from each other with the bottoms of their feet touching.  A pole is placed in the middle.  Each cowboy grabs both hands on the pole.  The pole should be centered over the tops of the feet to start.  On go both cowboys start pulling.  The one who can pull the other cowboy up wins.

Make several "cow pies" with a cheep frisbee and a glue stick.  To do this just squirt the hot glue in a circular patter until desired look is achieved.  Then paint your cow pie with brown paint to look like a real cow pie. 

 Give each team member the same number of cow pies.  When you say go have them throw the cow pies from a distance into a bucket.  The team that gets their cow pies in first wins.

This one is a lot of fun.  Glue tuna cans to opposite ends and sides of a paint stick. (See above).   Make a small bean bag (about 3" square) that fits into one of the tuna can.  

You can make one for each team, or take turns.

Hold the stick in the middle. 

Flip the stick over, while throwing the bean bag up in the air, and then catch the bean bag in the opposite can.  It can be tricky, but the team who can catch the most in a minute wins.

Every cowboy needs clean clothes, so a laundry day is a must.

For this challenge I had small clothes pins (found in the craft aisle), a bow (from a bow and arrow set) and a printout of small paper clothes, cut out.  Each team had to run the clothes from across the room and hang them on the string.  They could only carry one item of clothing at a time.

Laundry Printout:

Print and cut out 2 sets, one for each team.

I bought a plastic horse shoe set at the dollar store.  Each team had a different color of horse shoe.  Both teams had one minute to throw their horse shoes onto the pole from the same distance.  The one with the most horse shoes on the pole won.  If no one got it on then the one with the closest horse shoe won.

Make a stick and ring toss by securing a string (about 18") to one end of a  wooden spoon.  Tie the other end of the string to the ring of a mason jar lid.  See below.

Give each team member a stick with a ring attached.  

Give both teams one minute.

 The team that can get the ring on the spoon the most times in a minute wins.

For this you will need a large button (the bigger the better), or you can drill holes in round wood slices, or even use a heavy piece of round cardboard  with two holes. 

You will also need three feet of strong string.

We choose to use wood slices from the craft store and then we drilled two holes in the center.

We also had a few plastic buttons but they didn't work as well.  

Thread the string through one hole and then back through the other hole.  Then tie the two string ends together.

Position your button in the center of the string while holding the string on both ends, and then twist the button around at least ten times.

When you pull on both ends at the same time the button will spin.  You can pull the string back and forth to keep it spinning.

You can play this one of two ways:

  The first team to make one and spin it wins.

 Or you can pre-make them and the first team to twirl it wins.  

I prefer the first way.

I found the cutest plastic toy wagons at the Dollar Tree.

Each team got a wagon.  One person from each team had to push their wagon across the room with their nose.

The team that got their wagon to the other side first won.

Every cowboy needs a barn.  Luckily we had some lincoln logs to help supply materials for a barn.  Each team had a minute to construct their barn.  The most complete barn won.

What a fun day we had!  The students loved it.

The winning team was awarded a trophy.

I used m&m minis and hot glued brown cardstock around the base.  Then I hot glued the wagon to the top.

Printout for the trophy toppers:

PIONEER

Pioneer Version:

Here are the printouts for the pioneer version:

Instead of dressing up as a sheriff, you could dress up as a pioneer.

On The Trail

With my class instead of having a Sheriff I had a Company Captain.  Then all the games reflected the journey of traveling on the pioneer trail.   I divided the teams into companies.  The students loved it and learned a little during the game.

Since the version I did was a pioneer trail my trophies said "On the Trail" and I used the version below:

Here's a list of all the games:

I also have a couple of BINGO games.  One is Cowboy and the other is Pioneer.

I hope that your game turns out fun!  Please leave me a message to let me know how it went.

I have several other Minute to Win it Games. 

Check them out: