Saran Wrap Game

The Saran Wrap ball game is a fun Christmas party idea that’s easy to set up and guaranteed to get everyone laughing while also earning prizes!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy.

How to Make a Saran Wrap Ball

1. Gather prizes. Pick out small items like candy, gift cards, dollar bills, chapstick, socks, or little toys. A mix of silly and useful prizes makes it more fun.
2. Start with the best prize. Place your biggest or most exciting prize in the center. This will be the “core” of your ball.
3. Wrap in layers. Tear off a long piece of plastic wrap, place the prize in the center, then roll and twist until it’s completely covered.
4. Add more prizes. As you build the Saran Wrap ball, tuck in one or two new items, then wrap them securely before moving on.
5. Keep it unpredictable. Change the direction of your wrapping or use smaller strips of plastic wrap here and there so it’s trickier to unwrap.
6. Make it big. Continue adding prizes and wrapping until you’ve used everything. The ball should end up about the size of a basketball, depending on how many goodies you use.

How to Play the Saran Wrap Game

1. Sit in a circle. Have everyone gather around with the Saran Wrap ball in the middle. The youngest player can start first.
2. Get the dice ready. The person to the left of the starter gets two dice. Their job is to keep rolling until they hit doubles. We find it easiest to roll into a plastic bowl.
3. Unwrap as fast as you can. While the dice are rolling, the starter unwraps the ball as quickly as possible, keeping any prizes that fall out.
4. The ball must stay in your lap. It’s a ball and can be unpredictable, if it escapes your lap while unwrapping, you must fetch it and put it back in your lap to continue unwrapping it.
5. Pass the ball. As soon as doubles are rolled, the ball moves to the next player and the dice move one spot to the left.
6. Keep going. Play continues around the circle until all of the prizes are unwrapped and the ball is gone.
7. Enjoy the loot. Everyone gets to keep what they collected or trade it with others!

Game Rules

1. Players sit in a circle.
2. One player puts on the oven mitts and starts with the Saran Wrap ball, and the next player has the dice.
3. The player with the ball unwraps as quickly as possible while the dice roller tries to roll doubles.
4. Once doubles are rolled, the ball (and unwrapping job) passes to the next person, and the dice move left.
5. Any prizes that fall out during your turn are yours to keep.
6. The Saran wrap game continues until every last layer is unwrapped and all the prizes are gone.

Tips and More Fun Ways to Play

• Oven mitts or gloves. Make unwrapping harder by having the player wear mitts. If you have a mix of ages, have adults and teens wear oven mitts while younger kids can wear winter gloves with fingers.
• Coal cards. Slip in cards with silly tasks like singing a Christmas carol, doing a funny dance, or telling a holiday joke before they can keep unwrapping.
• Uno-style cards. Add cards that say “Skip,” “Reverse,” or “Steal” so the game changes direction or another player takes the ball.
• Steal or swap prizes. Include a few cards that allow the player to steal a prize from another player. For extra chaos, add a card that makes the player swap their entire pile.
• Musical chairs style. Play holiday music while the ball is passed around. When the music stops, whoever is holding the ball gets to unwrap until the music starts again.
• Double wrap. Add layers or smaller plastic strips to slow down unwrapping. I like to add smaller prizes close together and wrap larger prizes in lots of layers. Press-n-seal wrap makes it harder to unwrap.

This Saran wrap game is such a fun way to bring laughter and excitement to any gathering. We love it during the holidays, but it works just as well for birthdays, family reunions, or any party where you want to keep kids and adults entertained.

More Holiday Fun