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Home » FAMILY GAMES

Published: Mar 6, 2023 by Birute Efe · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

7 Fun Hot Potato Game Ideas For Kids (How to Play and More)

I am sure you've played Hot Potato at many of your friend's birthday parties! Laughter with your friends and family is guaranteed when you are playing Hot Potato. You can play it at family gatherings, with your kids at home, or in class as a group. The game makes sure everyone participates and has a good time! 

The best part is this exciting circle game helps children develop a variety of motor and social skills, such as improving hand-eye coordination and learning how to work together as a group. 

There are many ways you can play Hot Potato to make it even more enjoyable. Interested to know about some exciting Hot Potato games? Here are 7 Hot Potato games that kids love to play.

How To Play Hot Potato Game With Your Kids?

Playing Hot Potato is simple, easy, and fun! Kids must pretend to hold a steaming hot potato in their hands and pass it around, making sure to let go as soon as possible, so they don't burn themselves! Ouch!

You can use a potato wrapped in foil or simply a ball, beanbag, or any other toy. You can also play music while you play and pass around the object to your friends!

The rules of Hot Potato are really simple:

  • The kids can sit or stand in a circle.
  • While music plays in the background, they pass the ball, beanbag, or water balloon with other players.
  • You're out if you drop the ball.
  • Once the music stops, the person holding the "hot potato" is out.
  • The last person standing is the winner.

If you are playing the game with only one kid, sit across from your child and toss the ball or bean bag back and forth. When the music stops, whoever is caught holding the "hot potato" will lose the round. This can also apply to siblings or small groups of people playing.

Fun and Exciting Hot Potato Game Variations

Hot Potato is a fun game to play with your loved ones. Empowered Parents is another really interesting website with cool Hot Potato game ideas. Challenge yourself and your kids as we put a twist on the traditional Hot Potato game!

Hot Potato Soup Game

Hot Potato Soup Game

This exciting and interactive game is a recipe for fun! The kids are sure to have a great time with this version of Hot potato.

How to Play

Place a hula hoop in the middle of the ground and form a circle around it. Start the music and pass the ball and keep dancing. When the music stops, the person with the ball has to step inside the hula hoop. By the end of the game, you will be struggling to squeeze into the hoop with all your friends!

This game is a bundle of excitement and laughs! You can even have a hula hoop competition with your friends once you finish the game.

Hot Potato Speed Challenge

Hot Potato Speed Challenge

This is a fun and active game variation that can help young kids learn about teamwork and coordination. You can use objects like a ball or a bean bag to play the hot potato speed challenge game.

How to Play

Children sit or stand around in a circle to play this fun game. You'll need some potatoes as well as a timer. A time limit of twenty seconds works well for this game. One person in the circle has all of the potatoes. The person next to them will have something resembling a basket to collect them in.

One. Two. Three. Go!

When you hear the timer go off, the players quickly pass the potatoes or pass the ball around the circle. Each potato must complete one round of the circle before being collected by the last person and placed in a basket.

Let's see how many rounds you can do with your friends in twenty seconds!

Pass the Imaginary Potato

Pass the Imaginary Potato

This is a traditional circle game that children of all ages can enjoy. Everyone can stand for this one because it encourages everyone to move and make exciting actions. There is no music in this game, and the main focus is on moving around a variety of invisible objects.

How to Play

You can start by passing pretend objects like a lump of red hot coal, heavy brick, or a burning meteor around the circle. You can play some music or chant this popular Hot Potato game verse:

Hot potato pass it on

Hot potato pass it on

Hot potato pass it on

Get rid of the hot potato

Once the verse ends or the music stops, the player holding the imaginary object is out of the game. You can make fun sounds and actions as you pass around your imaginary object! You can slouch and grin while you pretend to pass on a heavy brick or you can make hissing sounds and quickly pass on your pretend lump of red hot coal, so your hand does not get burnt. You can also play this game in a class room setting with your friends.

One Potato, One Carrot

One Potato, One Carrot

This is a fun way to play the traditional game of Hot potato. Children of all ages can play this exciting version of the game. You can play it with your friends, family, or siblings and have a great time!

How to Play

Gather around and form a circle. There is no music in this, but you can replace the old version of the verse with 'one potato and one carrot' as you pass the potato one way around the circle and the carrot the other way. Complete the game without dropping

The players can shout 'Change' at any time of the game and start passing the potato and carrot in the opposite direction. Instead of saying change, you could also play a musical instrument. For example, you could shake a tambourine and dance along with it before switching the direction of the potato and carrots.

Water Balloon Hot Potato

Water Balloon Hot Potato

This is another great way to play the classic game of Hot Potato. You can use a water balloon and throw it around the circle. You can also fill the balloons with water and later have a fun balloon fight!

How to Play

Balloons are ideal for use in simple circle games. You can use one or several balloons to play this game. You will need more balloons, especially if there is a large group of children. You can also have someone standing in the middle to make the game more challenging and fun. Players form a circle and toss the balloon to the player next to them. They can catch it and pass it on to the next person.

If you play it with music, you can stop it at any time, and the players with the most balloons are the winners. Throw and kick your balloons around at the end of the game and have a fun balloon fight with your friends!

Count and Throw

Count and Throw

This is a fun and educational way to play Hot Potato. You can play this with a balloon or a ball. This version of the Hot Potato is excellent for developing motor skills of your child.

How to Play

All the children should stand around in a circle. There should only be one ball, and no music or song is required while playing this game. The first person tosses the balloon to the next and says, 'One.' The next person catches it and throws it to the following person saying, 'Two.'

That's all there is to it! Continue playing by throwing the ball and counting. You can make it more exciting by giving candy to everyone who gets the number right in the circle.

 Pass the Parcel, Not the Potato!

 Pass the Parcel, Not the Potato!

This is a fun game that can be played by children of all ages. The exciting thing about this version is the person left at the end of the game gets to keep a present!

How to Play

The players are seated in a circle. You should use a present that has been wrapped up several times. It is best to search and use two different types of wrapping paper and then wrap the gift in alternating layers of paper. You can use wrapping papers with fun and cool designs. You can also use some upbeat Hot Potato game songs.

Play some music while the players pass the parcel around. When the music stops, the person with the package removes the top layer of wrapping paper. Start the music again and keep passing the parcel around the circle.

Finally, one lucky person will open the final wrapping, and the present will be theirs to keep! You can include older players as well as younger ones for this amusing version of Hot Potato.

Have Fun With Hot Potato!

Hot Potato is an excellent way to develop motor skills and social skills in kids. Gather your friends and family or have a blast with your children playing the Hot Potato game ideas we have mentioned.

You can search for alternate objects for all your Hot Potato games or simply use a ball that is easily accessible most of the time, or you could just use a potato from your pantry to play exciting Hot Potato games with your child!

More fun:

  • 20 Activities for Siblings to Bond, Compete and Cooperate
  • 15 Adorable Printable Board Games for Kids
  • Epic Fort For The Super Cozy Family Evening
  • Hilarious Family Games To Play at Home

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