New Year’s Pass The Prize Game: A Fun Party Game For Kids
Looking for a fun New Year’s Eve game that gets everyone laughing and involved? This New Year’s Pass the Prize Game is a simple, interactive party game that kids and adults will love!
Players listen closely as a fun New Year’s rhyme gives clues about who should receive the prize next. Each line brings a new surprise as the prize travels around the circle.
This free printable New Year’s game is perfect for:
- New Year’s Eve parties
- New Year’s Day celebrations
- Family gatherings
- Classroom parties
- Church and youth group events
- Neighborhood parties
- Holiday get-togethers
Kids will love watching the prize make its way around the room while listening carefully for each new clue!
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Contents
How To Play The New Year’s Pass the Prize Game
Materials Needed:
- A group of 4 or more people
- Free printable New Year’s Pass the Prize game (download it below)
- A small prize to pass
- A narrator or participant willing to read the game
1. Have participants sit or stand in a circle.
2. Choose someone to start with the prize.
3. The narrator reads each New Year’s rhyme while players follow the directions. Each line tells players who should receive the prize next.
For example, players may pass the prize to someone:
- Wearing a certain color
- With a specific feature (like glasses or brown hair)
- Sitting in a certain spot
- With a letter in their name
- Chosen by the group
4. Keep reading the poem until all the clues have been completed.
5. Whoever is holding the prize at the end wins!
Pro Tip: Every group is different! If no one matches a clue, simply choose someone who hasn’t had the prize recently and keep playing.
New Year’s Pass The Prize Ideas
A fun New Year’s Eve prize doesn’t have to be expensive! Choose something everyone would enjoy winning, whether it’s a tasty treat, a small gift, or something festive.
Try one of these ideas:
- A New Year’s Eve party favor pack
- Sparkling cider or a fun drink
- A movie night gift card
- A bag of favorite candy
- A cozy pair of socks
- A mini board game or card game
- A popcorn and movie snack bundle
- A fun notebook or journal
- A small fidget toy
- A $5 gift card
- A party hat and noisemaker set
- A New Year’s treat basket
Pro Tip: For classrooms or larger groups, consider giving everyone a small treat and letting the final prize-holder receive something extra special.
Explore more wildly entertaining New Year’s Eve party games!
Free New Year’s Pass The Prize Game Printable
Ready to play?
Grab the free printable New Year’s Pass the Prize Game and bring some festive fun to your New Year’s Eve party!
While you have these supplies out, play this New Year’s Eve Left Right Game, too!
More New Year’s Pass The Prize Game Ideas
The classic Pass the Prize game is always a hit, but there are lots of fun ways to change it up for different ages, groups, and party settings.
Pass the Prize With New Year’s Challenges
Make the game extra silly by adding a challenge whenever the prize stops.
The person holding the prize can:
- Name three things they’re looking forward to in the New Year
- Do their best midnight countdown
- Pretend to be fireworks exploding
- Share a funny New Year’s resolution
- Name three party foods
- Sing a line from “Auld Lang Syne”
- Do a silly New Year’s dance
- Share their favorite memory from the past year
- Make a prediction about the year ahead
- Give everyone their best New Year’s greeting
Pass the Present New Year’s Trivia Game
Add a little friendly competition by having the person holding the prize answer a New Year’s trivia question before passing it along.
Pass the Prize With New Year’s Music
Turn Pass the Prize into a New Year’s version of Hot Potato!
Have everyone sit in a circle and pass the present while a festive New Year’s playlist plays. When the music stops, the person holding the present wins a prize, answers a New Year’s question, or completes a silly challenge.
New Year’s Pass the Prize for Younger Kids
For preschoolers and younger children, keep it simple:
- Shorten the game.
- Use easy clues they can see and understand.
- Read the poem slowly so everyone can follow along.
- Let everyone be a winner by giving each child a small treat or party favor.
No matter which version you choose, New Year’s Pass the Prize is an easy party game that gets everyone laughing and participating!
More Fun New Year’s Eve Games
Don’t miss these other great things to do!
- New Year’s Roll In the New Year Dice Game
- New Year’s What’s On Your Phone? Game
Want More New Year’s Eve Fun (Screen-Free!)- Coming Back Soon!
The New Year’s Games Pack does the family night and party planning for you. It has ready-to-print New Year’s games for kids, teens, and adults, so you’ll always have the right game whether you’ve got 10 minutes or the whole evening. No prep, no shipping, no screens. Just print, cut, and play.
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