Candy Jar Guess

Set up

Before the party, count the candy as you fill the jar. Write the number down and put it somewhere safe; it is surprisingly easy to lose. Close the lid. Put the jar on a table near the entrance with slips of paper, a pen and a box for the guesses.

Wrapped candy is best if the winner will share the jar. Check for allergies in the group before choosing what goes in.

How to play

1. As guests arrive, each one looks at the jar and writes their name and a guess on a slip.
2. Guests may pick the jar up and turn it, but may not open it.
3. One guess per person. Slips go in the box.
4. Later in the party, collect the slips and find the guess closest to the real number.
5. Announce the real number first, then the winner. The winner takes the jar.

Why it earns a place

This game runs itself. It gives people something to do in the awkward first minutes of a party, it needs no explanation, and nobody has to stop talking to play. The only work is counting the candy and reading the slips.

Ways to change it

• Baby shower: fill a baby bottle with jelly beans or small candies.
• Halloween: candy corn or wrapped treats in a jar or a clear plastic pumpkin.
• Office: a jar of paper clips or wrapped mints on the front desk, open for a week.
• Non-food version: buttons, marbles, building bricks or coins. Good where allergies are a concern.
• Three jars: small, medium and large, with a winner for each.
• Guess the weight: guess the weight of a cake or a pumpkin, with kitchen scales to settle it.

Who it suits, and who it doesn’t

It suits any gathering where people arrive at different times: showers, open houses, office parties, school fairs. All ages can play, and it runs alongside everything else. It is not an activity for a small group sitting together, where it is over in a minute. Keep small candies out of reach of very young children.