How to Play the Rice Game for Baby Showers

Preparing the Game

Buy 2 pounds of long-grain rice. The first item that's required for the rice game is a large bag of rice, weighing approximately 2 pounds. Using long-grain rice will make the game slightly more challenging, but any type of rice will do. The rice does not need to be cooked in order to play this game, so cooking time is irrelevant. Keep in mind that you will not be able to eat the rice after using it for this game, so buy the cheapest rice available.

Purchase a package of 100 safety pins. The next thing you need is a package of 100 safety pins. The type of safety pins you buy will depend on your personal preference: Using small safety pins will make the game harder, using large safety pins will make the game easier, and using a mixture of large and small pins will make the game more interesting. Open the packet of safety pins and spread them on a table to make sure all of them are securely closed. Having open safety pins is a bad idea as someone could prick their finger during the game.

Find a large bowl or a gallon-sized plastic bag. Next, you will need to find something to put the rice and safety pins into. This could be a large plastic bowl (not glass) or a gallon-sized, sealable plastic bag. The plastic bowl is easier to use, as you will quickly be able to place the rice and safety pins inside. However, there is a higher chance that you or one of your guests might knock the bowl over and spill its contents. The plastic bag is slightly more awkward to set up, but you will be able to seal it until you are ready to play the game. This reduces the chances of the rice spilling and making a mess.

Mix the rice and safety pins in the bowl or bag. Pour the entire bag of rice and all of the closed safety pins into the bowl or bag and use your hands or a large spoon to mix them thoroughly. Once this is done, you can seal the plastic bag or cover the bowl with a lid or piece of cling wrap.

Place the bowl or bag in a safe location until you are ready to play. Set the bowl or bag aside until you are ready to play the rice game. Try to place it in a safe location where it is unlikely to be knocked over.

Playing the Game

Blindfold the first player. To begin the game, blindfold the first player. You can use a sleep mask or any piece of thick, dark cloth. Tie the blindfold securely over the players eyes and make sure they can't see through it. If the player would prefer not to be blindfolded, you can just ask them to close their eyes while they play instead. Alternatively you could place the bowl or bag of rice underneath a coffee table and ask the player to sit in such a way that she can reach the bowl but can't see its contents.

Set a timer to one minute. Use an egg timer or stopwatch to count down one minute on the clock. One person can be responsible for alerting the player when their time starts and when their time is up.

Instruct the play to find as many safety pins in the rice as she can, using only her hands. During her one minute, the first player needs to use her hands to find as many safety pins in the rice as possible. Once she finds one, she should remove it from the bowl or bag and set it on the table beside her.

Count and record the number of safety pins once the minute is up. Once the minute is up, the player must immediately stop looking for safety pins. You should then count the safety pins to see how many she found and record that number (along with the player's name) on a piece of paper.

Place the safety pins back in the rice and let the next player go. Before the next person plays, it's important to place all of the safety pins back into the bowl or bag of rice and mix them up. This ensures that there is the same amount of safety pins in each round, which gives all of the players an equal chance. Once the safety pins are mixed back in, allow the next player to take their turn.

Check your records to see who found the most safety pins. Continue around the room until each guest has taken a turn at collecting the safety pins. Then compare all of the players' scores to see who found the most. If you like, you can award a small prize to the winner of the game. This could be a scented candle, a picture frame, a small box of chocolates, etc. You could also award a prize to the players who came second and third, or even to the player who found the least amount of safety pins. Your game, your rules!

Clean up afterwards. As each player removes safety pins from the bowl or bag of rice, it's likely that a number of rice grains will fall onto the floor. As a result, you may have a certain amount of cleaning up to do after the game. If you wish the use the safety pins in future, remove them all from the bowl of rice and place them back in their original packet. Use a vacuum cleaner to vacuum up any grains of rice that have fallen on the floor, then throw away the rice remaining in the bowl or bag.