Candy Cane Relay Game: Rules and Tips

The Candy Cane Relay is a silly teamwork game where players pass candy canes down a line using only a cane held in their mouth. It is great for kids, teens and adults, and it takes just a few minutes.

How to Set Up

1. Make two or more teams of three to six players. Teams should be about the same size.
2. Have each team line up in a row, standing or sitting, shoulder to shoulder.
3. Put a bowl with 10 candy canes at the start of each line.
4. Put an empty bowl at the far end of each line.
5. Give each player one cane to hold in their mouth, hook end out. Players should remove the wrappers first.

How to Play

1. When you say “go,” the first player takes a cane from the bowl with their hands and hooks it on their own mouth cane.
2. They turn to the next player and slide the hooked cane onto that player’s mouth cane.
3. Players pass the cane down the line without using hands. Hands stay behind backs.
4. The last player drops the cane in the empty bowl using only their mouth cane.
5. If a cane falls, the player who dropped it picks it up and begins again from the start of the line.
6. Stop the game after one minute. Count the canes in each team’s end bowl.

Scoring and Winning

Each cane in the end bowl is worth one point. The team with the most canes wins. Play a few rounds and add up the totals. Everyone gets to eat their mouth cane at the end.

Tips for a Fun Game

• Short players and tall players do better when lined up in mixed order.
• Practice once without the clock so everyone learns the trick.
• Wash hands before the game and keep canes clean for eating.
• Tell players to go slowly. Fast hooks often fall.
• Check for any candy allergies before you start.

Variations

• Spoon Swap: Use a plastic spoon in the mouth and pass small candy canes on the spoon.
• Longer Race: Raise the time to two minutes and use more canes.
• Little Kids Version: Let children hook canes with their hands and just pass them to a friend. Cheer for every cane that gets there.