It’s the holidays which means time for some Christmas Minute to Win it games! Today’s game is called “Guess What’s in the Stocking?” It’s perfect for classroom or office parties, family get-togethers and will be enjoyed by kids, tweens, teens and adults.
Like our previous 12 Minute to Win It Games for Christmas, this one is easy to set up and fun for all ages!
Minute to Win It Games: What’s in the Christmas Stocking?
This is really such a fun game to play! Similar to our printable Christmas Charades & Pictionary games, I love that this game doesn’t take up much room to play & can be quickly set up and anyone from preschoolers to grandparents can play.
It’s similar to our What’s that Smell? Christmas game (also great for class parties!) only this one focuses on your sense of touch instead of smell. All you have to do is set a timer for one minute, stick your hand inside and write down all the items you can identify with your sense of touch!
This can easily be a very Christmas-y game or have more of a general holiday focus — heck, this would also be great as a Winter Minute to Win It game using only items related to snow and winter!
And yes, this is a great sensory activity to do too — preschoolers, kindergarten and elementary age kids will LOVE it during the holidays.
Christmas Stocking Guessing Game: How to Play
To goal of this holiday game is to have players identify what’s in the Christmas stocking WITHOUT looking! Seriously – no peeking at all. Blindfolds may be necessary for those family members who are not above a little cheating 😉 Or make players wear a large Santa hat that’s pulled down over their eyes.
Players should only put their hand inside the stocking and feel around while they make their guesses 🙂
Within one minute, each player must feel the items in the stocking and record their guesses on the free printable game sheet (get that below)! Thus the name of the game, right 😉
The Guess What’s in the Stocking game can be made super easy for younger kids or make it a little tricky for teens and adults – for example, put in multiple jingle bells or candy canes so older players will need to guess not only what’s in the stocking but also how many of each item!
Items that you include in the stocking should be holiday related – things that remind you of the sights, sounds or smells of Christmas!
55 Holiday-themed Games & Puzzles for All Ages!!
Supplies for this Minute to Win It Christmas Game
You’ll need to grab a few items for this game:
- a holiday stocking – 16″ to 18″ works best (or alternative we’ve listed below)
- 12 holiday related items (see our list of fun ideas!)
- the FREE printable game sheets (also below)
- and some pencils or pens (try these candy cane shaped pens and send them home with players 😉
If you don’t have a stocking on hand, you can also use a Santa hat. Or even a wrapped box with a hole in the top as long as it’s big enough to hold all of your items.
How many items should you need to include in the stocking? My recommendation is 12!
Partly because of the whole “12 days of Christmas” thing and also 24 or 25 would be way too many to fit into one stocking 😉 Less than 12 items and you’ll probably have too many people finish within a minute. Twelve items also creates a somewhat crowded stocking and makes for a good guessing game.
This is also a fun idea to do with the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown too!!
Guess What’s In the Stocking: List of Items to Include
So the question is — WHAT should go in the stocking?
First, be sure that all items you put in are nonbreakable! No glass items and nothing sharp. We like to include a mix of food and non-food items since food it a big thing during the holidays.
Don’t worry – we’ve included a super FREE printable list of items to put in the stocking along with the game sheet and I’ll bet you have most of these things around the house already.
Here’s one of the set-ups we did for the game — On the tray in the photo above, I’ve laid out some ideas of what to include in a stocking.
Our 12 items include:
- a pine cone
- a pancake mold (that’s the tree shaped item – perfect for Christmas morning breakfast!)
- 2 Christmas light bulb covers
- 4 whole cloves
- a clementine orange
- a plastic ornament
- a small mitten
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 mini candy canes (wrapped!)
- a mini bottle brush tree
- a small Santa figurine and
- a strip of fabric holiday ribbon!
Be sure the game fits your family or group! For example, if gumdrops are popular with your family, include a few of those. Or if you’re doing this at a classroom party, choose items like candy cane shaped erasers.
More Ideas for the Stocking Guessing Game
Here are a few other ideas for items to tuck into your stocking:
- A full size Candy Cane (keep them wrapped in plastic so things don’t get sticky 😉
- Jingle bells
- A nut cracker (the real type – not the toy)
- Some nuts in shells
- Cranberries
- A small gift bow
- Candle
- A cookie cutter
- Small figurines (like an angel, nutcracker, snowflake, etc)
- A small star
- A cookie (a gingerbread man cookie would be perfect since they’re holiday related, have a nice shape and probably won’t break since they’re sturdy) – keep a few on hand in case you need to replace a broken one 😉
Guess What’s in the Stocking Game Free Printable
Be sure players WRITE down what’s in the stocking!! If they shout out their guesses, others may hear them and get a clue before it’s their turn 😉
Use the FREE printable game sheet to have each player record their guesses! And let players know that they need to identify each item and also HOW MANY of each item is tucked into the stocking.
If you need to keep other players entertained while someone’s guessing, try this Christmas Around the World geography game (w/FREE printable!) or test out science skills with the free printable Christmas Science Experiment: Can You Fly Santa’s Sleigh!
To keep score: Players should get one point for each item they identify correctly, an additional point if they guess the correct number (for example, 4 candy canes) and then 5 Bonus Points if they guess all the items in under a minute.
Download the FREE printable! It’s 2 pages and includes the What’s in the Stocking game worksheet + list of items to put in the stocking!
And be sure to try the *New* Christmas Minute to Win It: What’s the Lyrics?! free printable game too! More fun for family, kids and adults this holiday!
More Christmas Game Ideas:
FREE printable Christmas Scavenger Hunts