With so many holiday and classroom parties happening throughout the school year, I’m always looking for games for classroom parties that are simple, easy to set up, and loads of fun!
The eight games that I’m going to share with you are some of my students’ favorites and would work wonderfully ANY time of the year. The best part is that they require minimal prepping or setup, which is a BIGGIE in my book! I mean, who has time to put together complicated games with a gazillion different materials when you have a room full of 25-30 excited and wound-up kids ready to have some FUN?!
This game is one of my students’ favorites!
Materials Needed: 1-2 bags of plain M&Ms or Skittles, straws, and paper plates or napkins (either one will do)
Instructions: Divide students into teams (the number of teams doesn’t matter). Give everyone about 20-25 M&Ms. I like to prep these ahead of time in reusable and sealable plastic containers or Ziploc baggies. (The M&Ms represent ants.) The goal is for students to pretend to be anteaters and use only a straw to suck up and transfer as many “ants” as possible from a napkin to a paper plate in one minute. The team that transfers the most wins.
This game is great for sneaking in some teamwork practice!
Materials Needed: bowls, spoons, and cotton balls
Instructions: Divide students into teams. Give each team two bowls, a spoon, and about 20 small cotton balls. To play, one student from each team sits in a chair with a bowl of about 20 cotton balls in their lap and an empty bowl on their head, onto which they can hold. A fellow teammate stands next to them and will pick up any cotton balls that fall on the floor and place them back in the bowl. The goal of this game is for students to transfer a total of five cotton balls from their lap into the bowl on their head using only the spoon. They are only allowed to transfer one cotton ball at a time. Once five cotton balls are in the bowl, the next team member sits down and starts all over again. The first team to have every team member complete the task wins this game.
This game was so much fun to watch! For many of my students, this was the first time they had ever seen panty hose, so they didn’t really know what to do with it. :0)
Materials Needed: The largest-sized panty hose you can find (I bought mine at the dollar store) and something small like a penny or eraser (during the holidays you might want to use seasonal items)
Instructions: Divide students into teams. Place a small object inside each of the panty hose legs. Make sure that you move the object all the way down to the toe area. Have one member from each team sit in a chair with the panty hose in their lap and their hands up in the air signaling that they are ready to begin. On your mark, each team will begin trying to retrieve the object hidden in each leg. The first team to remove both items wins a point for their team. Then replace the objects and repeat with the next two team members. (Tip: Make sure that after each round, when you are returning the objects into the panty hose, that you are not giving away any tricks on how to handle the hosiery. Trust me when I say your kids will be watching you!)
This game was a little challenging at first, especially since we used the squared-off Solo cups pictured on the right, which tend to stick to each other. Despite the added challenge, my students had a blast!
Materials Needed: small styrofoam ball and 25 12-oz. Solo cups (rounded cups are best)
Instructions: Hot glue a small styrofoam ball to the top of one of the Solo cups and let it dry. Then stack the remaining 24 cups and add the cup with the ball to the top of your tower. Divide students into teams. Give each student their tower. On “Go,” each team will begin moving cups, one at a time, from the top of the stack to the bottom. The first team to have the cup with the ball back on top of their stack is the winner.
Let me begin by warning you that this game is addicting… Before you know it, you’ll be playing along with your students!
Materials Needed: straws, small bowl, masking/painters/Washi tape (any of these will work), 1-2 bags of small marshmallows, and a cookie sheet (you can also use the top of a student’s desk)
Instructions: Using the tape, mark a start and finish line on your cookie sheet. Place a handful of marshmallows into the small bowl. When you give the command to begin, students will have one minute to blow as many marshmallows as possible from the starting line all the way across the finish line. Any marshmallows that fall off the cookie sheet do NOT count as a point. The team to successfully blow the most marshmallows across the finish line is the winner.
Your students are probably already familiar with this game, so you won’t need to do a lot of explaining. It’s also a definite kid pleaser… My own children have been playing it at home since they were little and NEVER seem to get tired of it.
Materials Needed: Balloons
Instructions: Divide students into even-numbered teams, and have each person find a partner. If you have an odd number of students, just have one person go twice. Call up the first two players from each team and have them stand facing each other with a balloon in their hands. On your mark, they will begin tossing the balloons up into the air to each other. Their job is to keep BOTH balloons up in the air for a total of one minute. If they are able to do so, then they earn a point for their team. Continue until the entire team has played. The winner is the group with the highest score.
Since my students love using marshmallows and straws for games for classroom parties, here’s another one we came up with.
Materials Needed: straws, small marshmallows, plates or napkins, and plastic cups
Instructions: Split your students up into teams. Give the first person from each team a plate with a handful of small marshmallows on it, a straw, and an empty cup. Have another team member assist them by holding the cup in place. When you say “Go,” students will have one minute to transfer as many marshmallows as possible from the plate into the cup. Once time is called, count up the treats transferred and award each team a point per marshmallow. Any marshmallows not inside the cup when time is up do NOT count.
This game is as simple to set up as it is to play!
Materials Needed: Bowls or small baskets, spoons, and cotton balls (these are the clouds)
Instructions: Divide students into teams and call the first two players up from each team. Have them sit across from each other. Place a bucket filled with cotton balls and a spoon in front of one of the players and hand the other person an empty bucket. On your mark, Player 1 uses the spoon to fling one cotton ball at a time into the empty bucket. The goal is to try to score as many cotton balls into the bucket as possible before time is called. Each ball that manages to stay inside the bucket scores a point for the team. Continue to play until every team member has had a chance to play. The winner is the team with the most points.
To ensure your classroom parties run smoothly, it’s important to have the right materials on hand. Here’s a list of essential items you’ll need to make these games for classroom parties a success.
Having these materials ready will help you smoothly execute your games for classroom parties, ensuring everyone has a fantastic time with minimal hassle.
I hope that these games for classroom parties have been helpful and that you try some of them out with your kids! Feel free to share the love by pinning the image below to Pinterest so that other people can benefit as well!
I’d also love to connect with you! Click the social media links below to find me on Instagram, visit my TpT store, connect with me on Facebook, and read more on my blog.
Melissa lives in Miami, FL with her two-teenagers, fur baby, and supportive husband. She has been teaching for over 15 years and has enjoyed most of that time in the third grade. Besides teaching, she is also a blogger, curriculum creator, and Teachers Pay Teachers contributor.
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