One-Minute Games for Partners

Find a partner, press Pick another game for a two-player game with its props and goal, then start the clock.

One-Minute Games for Partners

  1. Over the Bar and InYou need: a broomstick laid across the backs of 2 chairs, 8 rolled-up pairs of socks, a laundry basket and a partner. Goal: the thrower lobs each sock ball over the bar, and the catcher, on the other side, catches it in the basket. Six caught win. A lob that passes under the bar does not count.
All 37

Next step Games with cups and table tennis ballsOne-minute games for the family

How it works

Each of these 37 one-minute games for partners takes two players working as one team: one throws, one catches; one sees, one does. Minute to Win It, a TV show of 60-second stunts, has nothing to do with this page.

Read the full guide

Pair up, then pick

Partners of about the same height suit Joined together, whose 9 games tie two players to one hoop, scarf, towel or broomstick. One throws, one catches holds 9 games with a bucket, a tray or a dustpan. Swap jobs after every round, so both partners get the easier half.

Seated and steered by voice

In One sees, one does one player stays seated and cannot see what the partner sees, while the partner talks, hums or taps: 9 games. Four hands, one job has 10 that share one task between two hands. None of these targets has been timed, so set your own.

Tips
  • For a class or a youth night, run three pairs at once on the same game and compare scores.

Questions and answers

How do you choose partners?

Draw names from a hat, count off in twos, or pair players of similar height for the joined games. A partner here is a teammate for one minute, and no game asks anything personal.

What do partner games need?

Things from a hall closet: a bucket, a hoop, a broomstick, a jump rope, a bath towel, a scarf, rolled-up socks, a tennis ball and a few chairs. Each game line starts with its own props.

Which partner games suit younger kids?

Easy for kids (5 and up) holds 14, such as Two in a Hoop Slalom, Hum Me Warmer and Broom and Pan Team. None of them needs a hard throw or a knot.

Does the blindfolded player walk around?

No. In every blindfold game the player stays on a chair, while the partner gives directions by voice, by humming or by tapping.

More tools

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All 37 games

One throws, one catches 9

  • Bank It Off the Tray You need: a tray or a big hardback book, 8 rolled-up pairs of socks, a bucket on the floor and a partner. Goal: the partner stands beside the bucket and holds the tray up at a slant. From three steps away, throw each sock ball at the tray so that it drops off into the bucket. The holder may tilt the tray. Three in the bucket win.
  • Bounce Pass to the Bucket You need: a tennis ball, a bucket and a partner four steps away. Goal: the thrower bounces the ball once on the floor and the catcher gets the bucket under it. Eight caught before zero win. A ball that goes in without a bounce does not count, and the catcher’s feet may move.
  • Catch in the Hood You need: a hooded sweatshirt worn by the catcher, 8 rolled-up pairs of socks and a partner three steps away. Goal: the catcher turns their back and holds the hood open behind their neck with both hands. The thrower lobs the sock balls into it and calls each throw. Four in the hood at zero win.
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One throws, one catches, continued

  • Dustpan Rally You need: a clean dustpan each, one rolled-up pair of socks and a partner two steps away. Goal: flip the sock ball from your dustpan to your partner’s and back again, with no hand touching it. Ten catches in a row win. A drop takes the count back to zero.
  • Long-Handled Cup You need: a paper cup taped to the end of a yardstick, 10 craft pom-poms and a partner. Goal: the catcher holds the yardstick by its far end, and the thrower lobs pom-poms from three steps away. Five landed in the cup win. The catcher’s hands stay on the last hand’s width of the stick.
  • Over the Bar and In You need: a broomstick laid across the backs of 2 chairs, 8 rolled-up pairs of socks, a laundry basket and a partner. Goal: the thrower lobs each sock ball over the bar, and the catcher, on the other side, catches it in the basket. Six caught win. A lob that passes under the bar does not count.
  • Swinging Bucket You need: a bucket with a handle, 8 rolled-up pairs of socks and a partner three steps away. Goal: the catcher swings the bucket gently from side to side by its handle and never stops. The thrower times each lob to land in it. Four in the bucket at zero win.
  • Through the Chair Tunnel You need: 3 chairs in a row, a ball, a bucket lying on its side and a partner. Goal: one player rolls the ball under all three chairs. The other waits at the far end and slides the bucket to swallow it. Six balls caught before zero win. A ball that clips a chair leg and stops is rolled again.
  • Wall, Then Bucket You need: a tennis ball, a bucket, a bare wall and a partner. Goal: the thrower bounces the ball off the wall, and the catcher, standing beside the thrower, catches it in the bucket before it touches the floor. Six caught before zero win.

Joined together 9

  • Back to Back, Over and Under You need: one rolled-up bath towel and a partner of about your height. Goal: stand back to back, a step apart. Pass the towel back over your head to your partner, who hands it back to you between their knees and yours. Ten full loops before zero win, and the feet never move.
  • Broomstick to the Floor You need: one broomstick or yardstick. Goal: stand facing each other with the stick resting across both players’ pointed forefingers at chest height. Lower it to the floor and bring it back up. No finger may lose touch with the stick, and nobody may hook or grip it.
  • Do Not Tear the Paper You need: one full sheet of newspaper and a chair on the far side of the room. Goal: each player holds two corners of the sheet, so that it is stretched flat between you. Walk around the chair and back, twice, without the paper tearing or sagging to the floor.
  • Hip to Hip Cushion Walk You need: a sofa cushion, a chair on the far side of the room and a partner of about your height. Goal: stand side by side with the cushion pressed between your hips, hands on your heads. Walk around the chair and back, twice. A cushion on the floor is put back where it fell.
  • Joined Wrists Paper Plane You need: a scarf, a sheet of paper and a strip of tape on the floor four steps away. Goal: tie one player’s right wrist loosely to the other’s left. Using only the two joined hands, fold a paper plane and throw it over the tape. The free hands stay behind your backs.
  • Over the Broomstick You need: one broomstick. Goal: each player holds one end of the stick in one hand. Both step over it, bring it up behind your backs and over your heads to the front again, without letting go. Five full turns win. Do it slowly, and keep the stick low.
  • Towel Shuffle for Two You need: one bath towel on a smooth floor and a line of tape five steps away. Goal: both players stand on the towel. Shuffle and twist to slide it across the floor to the tape without either player stepping off. A foot on the bare floor sends the pair back two steps.
  • Two in a Hoop Slalom You need: one hoop and 4 chairs in a line. Goal: both players stand inside the hoop and hold it at waist height. Weave in and out through the chairs and back again. Two round trips win. A chair bumped by the hoop sends you back to the last gap.
  • Yarn Loop Shapes for Four Hands You need: a loop of yarn as long as a jump rope, and a caller. Goal: both players hold the loop with both hands. The caller names a shape: square, triangle, long rectangle, diamond, house. Pull the loop into that shape without letting go. Five shapes the caller accepts win.

One sees, one does 9

  • Blind Librarian You need: 6 books of six different sizes, a scarf as a blindfold and a chair at a table. Goal: the blindfolded player stays seated and stacks the books from the largest at the bottom to the smallest on top. The partner may say anything and touch nothing. A stack in the right order at zero wins.
  • Catch on the Word Now You need: one rolled-up pair of socks and a partner two steps away. Goal: the catcher sits with eyes shut and hands cupped in their lap. The thrower says the word now, and lobs the socks so that they drop into the hands. Five caught out of ten win. The catcher’s hands may close but may not reach.
  • Draw What I Describe You need: paper and a pencil, 2 chairs back to back, and a simple picture drawn by the host: a house, a boat or a cat. Goal: one player describes the picture in shapes and places only, and never says what it is. The other draws. At zero the drawer says what the picture shows. A right answer wins.
  • Five Dots by Voice You need: a sheet of paper with 5 circles the size of a coin drawn on it, a marker, a blindfold and a chair at a table. Goal: the seated, blindfolded player holds the marker, and the partner steers it with words: left, up, stop, down. A dot inside all five circles at zero wins.
  • Hum Me Warmer You need: 5 upside-down cups on a table, a key hidden under one of them, a blindfold and a chair. Goal: the seated, blindfolded player moves one hand slowly above the cups. The partner hums, higher as the hand nears the right cup and lower as it moves away, and says no words. Lift the right cup first time, three rounds out of four, to win.
  • Pose by Voice You need: a chair, a blindfold and a card with a stick figure drawn on it in a clear pose. Goal: the blindfolded player sits. The partner looks at the card and talks them into the same pose: left arm straight up, right hand on the knee, head tilted. The judge compares player and card at zero.
  • Set the Place by Voice You need: a plate, a fork, a table knife, a spoon and a cup in a heap on a table, a blindfold and a chair. Goal: the seated, blindfolded player lays a place setting: the plate in the middle, the fork on the left, the knife and spoon on the right, the cup above the knife. The partner talks them through it, hands in pockets.
  • Six-Piece Puzzle by Voice You need: the front of a cereal box cut into 6 pieces with straight cuts, a blindfold and a chair at a table. Goal: the seated, blindfolded player puts the picture back together while the partner gives directions: turn it, slide it left, flip it over. All six pieces in place at zero win.
  • Two Taps Mean Right You need: a toy car, a square of tape at the far corner of a table, a blindfold and a chair. Goal: the seated, blindfolded player pushes the car. The partner may not speak, and steers by tapping the table: one tap for left, two for right, three for stop. A car parked inside the square at zero wins.

Four hands, one job 10

  • Alphabet by Turns, One Pencil You need: one pencil and a sheet of paper. Goal: write the alphabet from A to Z, taking turns: one player writes A and hands over the pencil, the other writes B. All 26 letters, readable and in order, before zero win. No letter is said aloud.
  • Band on Four Strings You need: a thick rubber band with 4 strings tied to it, each as long as a forearm, 3 empty plastic bottles standing on a table and a square of tape beside them. Goal: each player holds two strings. Pull to stretch the band, lower it over a bottle, let it grip, and lift the bottle into the square. Three bottles standing in the square win.
  • Broom and Pan Team You need: a broom, a dustpan and 20 balls of scrap paper scattered on the floor. Goal: one player sweeps with one hand and the other holds the dustpan with one hand. Every ball in the pan at zero wins. A ball that rolls out of the pan is swept in again.
  • Cut the Spiral, One Hand Each You need: a paper plate with a spiral drawn on it from the rim to the middle, and a pair of safety scissors. Goal: each player uses one hand. One holds the plate and turns it, and the other cuts along the line. A spiral that hangs in one piece when the judge lifts it by the middle wins.
  • Fold Three T-Shirts You need: 3 T-shirts in a heap. Goal: each player uses one hand. Fold every shirt with the sleeves behind and the bottom up to the collar, and stack the three. A stack that looks like a shop shelf at zero wins.
  • Hang the Poster Level You need: a sheet of paper, 4 pieces of tape stuck ready on the table edge and a bare wall. Goal: each player uses one hand. Hold the sheet against the wall and tape down all four corners. The judge steps back: a sheet that hangs level and flat wins.
  • Hold the End, Read the Number You need: a tape measure, paper, a pencil and 5 things named by the host, such as the table, a chair, the door, a book and a shoe. Goal: each player uses one hand. One holds the end of the tape, and the other pulls it out, reads the number aloud and then writes it down. Five lengths written before zero win, and the judge checks one of them.
  • Knot Without Letting Go You need: one jump rope. Goal: each player grips one handle with one hand and never lets go of it. By stepping over, ducking under and turning around each other, tie an overhand knot in the middle of the rope. One real knot at zero wins.
  • One Rope, One Handle Each You need: one jump rope and a clear patch of floor. Goal: stand side by side and take one handle each, in your outside hands. Turn the rope over both of you and jump it together. Ten jumps in a row win. A missed jump takes the count back to zero.
  • Roll the Mat Tight You need: an exercise mat or a bath towel laid flat, and 2 big rubber bands. Goal: each player uses one hand. Roll the mat up from one end, keeping the edges even, and slip a band over each end. A roll that stays shut when the judge lifts it by one band wins.

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors for this page on 2026-10-03 from general knowledge of party games and team challenges. We wrote every description ourselves and copied no wording from a television show or from another site's list. Party games are passed around freely, so a mechanic here may also be played elsewhere under another name. Every game needs exactly two players who work as one team, and none can be played alone. The games were written to fit about a minute. They have not been stopwatch-tested, so every target (eight catches, five shapes, three bottles) is a starting point for the host to raise or lower. A partner here is a teammate: no game asks about a relationship. A blindfolded player always stays seated. No game uses food or a balloon. That the television show named in the introduction gives a contestant 60 seconds a game was read in its English Wikipedia article on 2026-10-03. Compared by script on 2026-10-03 with every other list on this site: no game name is repeated. Licence: own work