Here in the US, we play fun Indoor Treasure Hunts with the kids during the Holiday season. Especially on “Sinterklaas” evening which is December 5. As I grew older we played another fun dice game with my volleyball team and it turned into a yearly activity. You can use this game for any kind of Holiday party and any size of group.
The interesting part was, that I played the same game, years later with friends here in the US. I was surprised how different this group played the game! People seemed to be less patient and wanted the alarm clock to go off after about 10 minutes instead of more than 30 minutes. This is what we did when we played it in the Netherlands. Why was that? I have NO idea. I just thought it was an interesting observation!
What IS this game, you might think! And what game can I play with bigger groups?
Well, let me explain it to you right now!
The materials
For this game you invite at least 4 people. Our volleyball team had about 12 and our friends group had about the same amount.
The only thing you need is a die. You can use a big foam dice, which we used in the Netherlands, or you can use a small one in a tray, so it’ll be easier to pass it around.
If you invite people, tell them to bring a present in whatever value you decide. We normally decide on $15.
Holiday dice game RULES
First (after everyone had something to drink and to eat…and chatted a little of course), you all sit in a circle. The presents are in the middle or on a table outside of the circle.
Second, everyone who rolls the number 6 can pick and open a present. Not your own. If you already opened a present, you can give someone else a present to open, until everyone has a present in front of him/her.
Make the rules before the game starts and the alarm clock starts. For example:
- Roll the number 2, means you can choose to go to the left or right. Everyone gets up and moves one place. The presents stay in place.
- Roll the number 5, means you can switch your present with someone else’s.
- You can make more rules if you like, but I found that people got confused (especially after one or two glasses of wine;)
Next, someone in the group (the host maybe) has the set an alarm for an X amount of minutes. It depends on which kind of group you invited. Our volleyball team knew that the game was the main activity of the evening, so we it set the alarm at about 30 minutes. The friend group wasn’t there so much for the game. They wanted to catch up with friends and just hang out that evening. So, maybe 15 minutes is enough.
At last, as soon as the alarm goes off, the present in front of you, is YOURS!!!
With our volleyball team, people got loud and competitive at the end. It was so funny! Some people wanted to get the dice and roll it quickly. There is always a favorite present as well, which makes it for some people, extra competitive.
Have fun and I wish you a happy “Sinterklaas”!!
If you can read Dutch, here is another, more complicated way of playing this game: Sinterklaas Dobbelen!
Hello everyone,
Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.