.These minute to win it valentines games are a fun way to celebrate love and friendship. Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love, friendship and laughter, and what better way to do that than with a few light‑hearted challenges? “Minute‑to‑Win‑It” games are short, high‑energy tasks that can be played with household items. Each challenge lasts 60 seconds, so they’re perfect for family gatherings, classroom parties, youth groups or at‑home date nights. Below you’ll find 25 creative Valentine’s games that require minimal supplies but guarantee maximum fun!
Looking for more Valentine’s inspiration? Explore our Valentine’s Day ideas collection for crafts, gifts and party decor.
How to Host a Valentine’s Minute-to-Win-It Party</h Party
- Gather supplies in advance. Create a list of materials for each game (see below) and place them in labeled baskets. Having everything ready prevents downtime between rounds.
- Set a timer. Use a stopwatch or the timer on your phone. Each round should last exactly one minute. Signal the start and end with a buzzer, bell or by shouting “Go!” and “Stop!”
- Assign a scorekeeper. Award one point to the player who completes a challenge first or achieves the highest count. Keep a tally so you can crown a winner at the end.
- Choose age‑appropriate games. Some challenges work best for couples or adults, while others are ideal for kids. Feel free to mix and match to suit your group.
- Offer prizes. Small chocolates, homemade coupons or printable certificates make affordable prizes and add an extra layer of excitement.
25 Minute to Win It Valentines Games
1. Heart A‑Stack
Supplies: Conversation hearts, popsicle sticks or tongue depressors.How to play: Give each player a flat stick and a bag of candy hearts. Set the timer and see who can stack the tallest tower of hearts on the end of their stick without it toppling. The player with the highest stack at the buzzer wins.
2. Cupid’s Arrow
Supplies: Paper straws, mini paper hearts or cotton balls, masking tape.
How to play: Place a strip of tape on the table to mark a start line. Players line up their “arrows” (cotton balls or paper hearts) behind the line and use the straws to blow them across to a finish line. The first to get all five across wins.
3. Kiss Toss
Supplies: Hershey’s Kisses, plastic cups or small bowls.
How to play: Line up a row of cups at the end of a table. Standing behind a marked line, players toss candy kisses into the cups. Whoever lands the most kisses in one minute claims victory. Make it more challenging by assigning point values to each cup.
4. Heart Relay
Supplies: Teaspoons, conversation hearts, two bowls per player.
How to play: Fill one bowl with hearts and place an empty bowl on the other side of the room. Players must transfer the hearts one at a time using a spoon held in their mouth. No hands allowed! The person with the most hearts in the second bowl after a minute wins.
5. Cupid’s Draw
Supplies: Large paper hearts, markers, blindfolds.
How to play: Blindfold players and ask them to draw Cupid’s face—including eyes, nose, mouth and arrow—on a paper heart. When the timer buzzes, remove blindfolds and vote on the funniest or most accurate drawing.
6. Broken Hearts Puzzle
Supplies: Paper hearts cut in half, one set per player.
How to play: Before the party, cut large hearts in half with jagged patterns. Mix up the pieces and challenge players to match as many halves as possible within one minute. The person with the most completed hearts wins.
7. Face the Cookie (Valentine Edition)
Supplies: Heart‑shaped cookies.
How to play: Players place a cookie on their forehead and, without using hands, wiggle their face muscles to move it into their mouth. If the cookie falls, they must start over with a new cookie. Whoever eats the most cookies in 60 seconds wins.
8. Candy Scoop Race
Supplies: Cotton balls or marshmallows, large spoon, bowl.
How to play: Players stand with a blindfold on. Place a bowl full of cotton balls or marshmallows in front of them and give them a large spoon. The goal is to transfer as many “candies” as possible into an empty bowl next to it without using their free hand. Count the pieces at the end of one minute.
9. Valentine Stack Attack
Supplies: Plastic cups (red or pink).
How to play: In true Minute‑to‑Win‑It fashion, players must stack 21 cups into a pyramid and then unstack them back into a single column in under a minute. Add a Valentine twist by drawing tiny hearts on the bottoms of the cups.
10. Cupid’s Ring Toss
Supplies: Bottles or wooden dowels, ring candies or craft rings.
How to play: Set up bottles on the floor and mark a throwing line. Players toss rings, trying to hook them onto the bottles. Each ring that lands scores a point. The player with the most ringed bottles wins.
11. Heart Transfer
Supplies: Tweezers or chopsticks, conversation hearts, two bowls per player.
How to play: Using only tweezers or chopsticks, players move hearts from one bowl to another. The person who transfers the most in 60 seconds wins. This simple motor‑skill game is great for kids and adults alike.
12. Cupid’s Balloon Pop
Supplies: Balloons, slips of paper with sweet or silly tasks written on them.
How to play: Place a paper inside each balloon before inflating. Players must pop as many balloons as possible in one minute—without using sharp objects—and complete the tasks they find (for example, “Give someone a compliment” or “Do a silly dance”). Award points for each completed task.
13. Marshmallow Toss
Supplies: Mini marshmallows, plastic cups.
How to play: One partner holds a cup while the other tosses marshmallows into it from a set distance. Switch roles at the 30‑second mark. Count how many marshmallows made it into the cup by the end of the minute.
14. Sweet Sort
Supplies: Conversation hearts in different colors, small bowls.
to play: Each player receives a pile of multi‑colored hearts and must sort them by color using only one hand. The player who sorts the most hearts in under a minute wins. This game encourages speed and dexterity.
15. Cupid’s Ping‑Pong Bounce
Supplies: Ping‑pong balls, red solo cups, table.
How to play: Arrange cups in a triangle formation and place the table three to five feet from the throw line. Players bounce ping‑pong balls toward the cups, trying to land one in each. First to get a ball in all cups or the person with the most shots in 60 seconds wins.
16. Valentine Dice Stack
Supplies: Red dice or small blocks.
How to play: Give each player six dice and challenge them to stack as many as possible on top of one another using only one hand. If the tower falls, they must start again. Highest tower at the buzzer wins.
17. Heart Hunt
Supplies: Small paper hearts, tape.
How to play: Before the game begins, hide paper hearts around the room. Players must find and collect as many as they can in 60 seconds. For added difficulty, mark certain hearts with point values and have players total their scores at the end.
18. Conversation Heart Tower
Supplies: Conversation hearts, plastic straws.
How to play: Players use a straw to pick up hearts—by suction—and transfer them onto a plate, stacking them into a tower. If their tower falls, they must start the stack again. Count the hearts at the end.
19. Love Notes Challenge
Supplies: Sticky notes, pen.
How to play: Give each player a pad of sticky notes and a pen. They must write a loving or kind note on each piece and stick it onto a nearby wall or poster board. The person who writes the most legible notes in one minute wins. This is a sweet game that doubles as an affirmation wall.
20. Valentine Chopstick Race
Supplies: Small candy hearts or marshmallows, chopsticks, two bowls per player.
How to play: Similar to the Heart Transfer game, but with chopsticks instead of tweezers. Players race to move as many candies as possible from one bowl to another using the chopsticks. The one with the most candies transferred in 60 seconds wins.
21. Balloon Love Waddle
Supplies: Red or pink balloons.
How to play: Inflate balloons and place one between each player’s knees. Players must waddle across the room without dropping or popping the balloon and deposit it in a basket. Continue racing back and forth for a minute to see who can move the most balloons.
22. Valentine Word Search
Supplies: Printable word‑search sheets with Valentine vocabulary, pens.
How to play: Hand each player a word search and challenge them to find as many words as possible in one minute. For younger children, use larger print and shorter word lists.
23. Cupid’s Cup Stack
Supplies: Red solo cups, index cards.
How to play: Stack six cups with an index card between each layer. Pull the cards out one at a time so the cups nest neatly without collapsing. The goal is to restack the cups into a single stack before time runs out.
24. Heart Hop
Supplies: Paper hearts or heart‑shaped floor mats.
How to play: Arrange hearts in a line or circle on the floor. Players must hop from heart to heart without touching the floor. If they miss a heart, they must start over. Count how many hearts they successfully hop on in 60 seconds.
25. Sweetheart Shake
Supplies: Empty tissue boxes, ping‑pong balls, ribbon.
How to play: Strap an empty tissue box filled with ping‑pong balls around each player’s waist using ribbon or string. When the timer starts, players must shake their hips to get all of the balls out of the box. The first one to empty their box wins.
Tips for Success
- Keep rules simple. Explain and demonstrate each game before the timer starts so everyone understands what to do.
- Plan smooth transitions. Arrange the games in a logical order and have helpers reset stations quickly.
- Emphasize safety. Use age‑appropriate materials and ensure there’s enough space for players to move around without bumping into furniture.
- Use Valentine décor. Dress up your space with banners, garlands and candles to create a festive atmosphere.
- Take photos and videos. Documenting the silliness not only preserves memories but also provides fun images to sha
- Mix and match themes. These minute to win it valentines games can easily be adapted for other holidays too—just swap out the hearts for shamrocks, pumpkins or snowflakes to keep the challenges fresh.
- Explore more ideas. For even more inspiration, check out WeAreTeachers’ collection of minute-to-win-it games, which offers creative challenges for classrooms and parties.
FAQs: Valentine’s Minute‑to‑Win‑It Games
What are minute‑to‑win‑it games?
Minute‑to‑win‑it games are quick challenges that typically use everyday items and must be completed in 60 seconds or less. They became popular from the television show of the same name and are now a staple at parties and classrooms because they’re simple to set up and entertaining for all ages.
Are these games suitable for adults and kids?
Absolutely! Many of these games are family‑friendly and can be enjoyed by both children and adults. For very young participants, simplify the tasks (fewer objects to move, larger game pieces) or pair them with an older helper.
How many games should we play at a party?
Select 8–10 games depending on your group size and the time available. It’s better to have a few well‑organized rounds than to rush through all 25. Keep additional games on standby if players want more challenges.
Can these games be adapted for classroom use?
Yes. Teachers love minute‑to‑win‑it activities because they encourage teamwork, hand‑eye coordination and problem‑solving. Choose mess‑free challenges (such as the word search or broken hearts puzzle) and sanitize shared items between rounds.
What’s a good prize for winners?
Prizes don’t need to be expensive. Offer themed pencils, stickers, small boxes of chocolates, or homemade coupons (e.g., “Free chore pass”). Certificates recognizing creativity or sportsmanship also go a long way in making everyone feel celebrated.
Final Thoughts on Minute to Win It Valentines Games
Whether you’re planning a classroom celebration, a family game night or a cozy date at home, these minute to win it valentines games promise plenty of laughter and unforgettable moments. Mix and match your favorites, keep your camera ready and remember—love and fun are always better when shared.