👜 Mystery Bag

What you need

Equipment: A cloth bag or a box with a hand hole, 8 to 10 objects. Put 8 to 10 objects into a bag or a box with a hand hole: a brush, a stone, a sponge, dry pasta, a comb, a glove, a key, a blown-up balloon. Players must not see them first.

How to play Mystery Bag

1. The first player comes to the bag and puts in one hand only.
2. No peeking. Use a blindfold if needed.
3. The player has 15 seconds to feel one object.
4. They say two describing words out loud, like "hard, bumpy," then guess what it is.
5. The host pulls the object out and shows everyone.
6. The next player comes up. The host mixes up the objects first.
7. Advanced round: the host names an object and the player must find it without looking.

Scoring and wrapping up

Scoring: Correct guess: 2 points. A great description that helped everyone: 1 point. Found a named object in under 10 seconds: 3 points.

To finish: Tip all the objects onto the table and give the group 30 seconds to look. Then cover them. Bonus: who can remember them all?

By age

• Ages 4-5: Use five very familiar objects and let them feel for as long as they like.
• Ages 8+: Use similar objects, like a fork and a spoon, or different pasta shapes.

Variations

• Big group: Make two bags and run them as stations at the same time.
• Buga twist: The player may only describe, never name. The group has to guess from the description.

Tips for the adult in charge

• Mix textures: something soft, hard, bumpy, smooth, squishy and cold.
• Help younger children with describing words: soft, rough, round, pointy, light, heavy.

Safety

No sharp objects or small parts for young children, and make sure everything is clean.

🖨️ Printable mystery bag checklist

Tick off the objects you put in the bag so you can check them at the end.

• Sponge
• Smooth stone
• Hairbrush
• Dry pasta
• Comb
• Glove
• Key
• Balloon
• Pine cone
• Toy car
• Sock
• Spoon
• Feather
• Wooden block
• Apple
• Tennis ball
• Cotton ball
• Shell
• Rubber duck
• Plastic cup