We added this ball of fun to our family gathering last weekend with kids ranging in ages from 3-12. They literally ripped into the ball and were each excited as they found prizes! They took turns like champs and even negotiated and swapped some of their prizes after the game was over. Ha! Was fun to watch from start to finish.
Want to play?
The Game
What you will need:
One assembled plastic wrap ball (see below for assembly ideas)
A CD Player
A Christmas Music CD
Players, of course
A person to run the CD player
Participants sit in a circle. Pick your starting participant and place the ball in front of them (you can simply draw a name or roll some dice to pick your first person or pick a volunteer). Once the music starts, the player with the ball tries to locate the start of the plastic wrap piece and begins to unroll it. Any prizes that fall out during their turn are theirs to keep. Once the music stops, their turn is over and the ball is passed to the next person. When the music starts they begin their attempt at locating the next layer of plastic wrap and this continues on until the center of the ball has been reached and the final prize has been won. How fun is that!
Some tips:
*Instead of music you can use dice as the timer. The player with the ball continues their turn until the player next to them rolls doubles. Then the player passes the ball to the dice roller. And the dice are passed on to the next person to begin their attempt at quickly rolling doubles. This works great for older participants. Music is great, especially for younger players who may not have the mobility or understanding of the dice. The music option is also good when a wide range of ages may be playing, to somewhat control the time that a player has or doesn't have with the ball based on their abilities.
*Communicate with the players that they must pull the ends of the plastic wrap to unravel the ball NOT tear open the plastic wrap to the prize. Trust me, this is important!
*You can save your plastic wrap after the game to reuse for future use on another ball.
*To add another layer of difficulty for the older crowd, you could have them wear oven mitts during their turn of trying to unwrap the ball - or even while they are rolling dice!
The Plastic Wrap Ball
Purchase your prizes and a container of plastic wrap (such as Saran wrap). Completely wrap your first prize with a piece of plastic wrap. Keep in mind, this will be the final prize that someone wins. Do you want it to be of special value? Maybe something funny? A special memento?
Once you have wrapped your first prize. Lay your second prize on top of the first wrapped prize and cut off another piece of plastic wrap and wrap around the second prize and the first prize. Alternating directions of your wrap, continue wrapping prizes by laying the new prize on top of the forming ball and wrapping a new piece of plastic wrap over it. The ball may not look like a ball at first but it will continue to grow and form, as you go.
Look at the end ball (pictured at top)! How awesome! You would never guess that there was a full bag of goldfish wrapped up in there, would you?!
Prize Ideas:
Depending on the ages of your players, pick your prizes! If you have a large age range, throw a little of everything in there and allow some swapping at the end - that's part of the fun. Adults can play too, but here is a list of ideas for young kids all the way through teens!
Money (dollar bills and coins - could use unique $2 bills or a 50 cent piece)
Candy (chocolates, ring pops, mints, suckers, tic tacs)
Microwave popcorn packs
Hot chocolate packets
Bubble bath (dollar bin small bottles)
Bath Bombs or Fizzies
Bubbles
Gum
Tooth flosser picks
Tooth brushes
Goldfish (I fit a full bag - you could use the individual bags)
Small Flashlight
Gift Cards
Bodywash (small travel size are fun)
Breath Strips
Massager (those small wooden ones)
Snack Packs of all kinds: oreos, trail mix, etc
Small toys: character figurines, yo yo, paddle ball, hot wheels, squishy balls, bouncy balls, shopkins, army guys, small Hatchimals or LOL balls, etc
Craft supplies: Pens, Scented Markers, Stampers, etc (I placed a full box of 12 ct colored pencils in)
Hand Sanitizer (the small to go ones are fun)
Lotion (mini)
Chap Stick or Lip Gloss
Stickers
Tattoos
Earings
Socks
Ear Buds
Popsockets
Card Games (Uno, deck of cards, etc)
Soaps (fun shaped soaps)
Word Search Booklets
Mad Lib Booklets
Ornaments
Slime or Putty Containers
Fidget Spinners
Playdoh (fun size containers)
Stuffed Animal
Beef Sticks
Crystal Light Packet
Ferris Wheel Token (Scheels)
Easy Mac packet
Ramen Noodles packet
Gatorade (I stuck a small bottle in our ball)
Pop Can (those small cans would be cute)
The list could go on and on! There are so many fun things that would work well in your ball. Whatever you place inside, you are sure to enjoy the fun of playing with your family and friends!
Crystal Light Packet
Ferris Wheel Token (Scheels)
Easy Mac packet
Ramen Noodles packet
Gatorade (I stuck a small bottle in our ball)
Pop Can (those small cans would be cute)
The list could go on and on! There are so many fun things that would work well in your ball. Whatever you place inside, you are sure to enjoy the fun of playing with your family and friends!
