Let’s start by saying that the history of Egg and Spoon racing is slightly fuzzy. The earliest recorded mention of it was in 1897, when it formed part of village celebrations in Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. But no matter it origins, this fun and highly entertaining game is still widely practiced by Children and Adults around the World and is a mainstay of sporting events, school fun-days and, most importantly, Kids Birthday parties.
Egg and spoon racing is a great way to encourage teamwork, coordination, and physical activity for Children. It is the perfect Kids Party Activity for your little guests and one of our favorite party games. Let’s get in to how to play it at your party.
The Supplies you Need.
The great thing about Egg and Spoon racing is how easy it is to organize – plus it’s super simple to find supplies because you most likely have them in your Kitchen right now.
- The Spoons – We highly recommend using wooden cooking spoons to make the game slightly more challenging but, alternatively, a regular metal spoon will also work.
- Eggs – Get your daily dose of protein in more ways than one. We recommend boiling the eggs prior to the race to avoid any oopsies. Alternatively you can purchase a Rubber egg shaped eraser from most art shops as a substitute if boiling the eggs are too much PT.
- Start / Finish Line – You can go all out and purchase official start and finish lines from most sporting shops, but we have found that a couple cones can also do the trick nicely.
The Rules (How to play)
We recommend a flat and grassy outdoor space of 10m x 4m for your egg and spoon race, so that the Children have some space to pick up speed.
Start off by lining up the Children on the starting line. Hand them their spoons and place the eggs on the spoons – and then it’s just counting down from 3 to start of the race! Children must travel as quickly as possible from the start to the finish line without dropping the eggs. Children that touch the eggs with their hands or drop an egg while racing have to restart the race. The first Child to cross the finish line is declared the Winner.
Racing Tips and Tricks
For the truly competitive in spirit:
- Hold the spoon with your thumb and first two fingers to give you a secure grip.
- Keep your elbow close to your body to help steady the spoon.
- Take small, quick steps to help balance the egg.
Mix it Up
There is a possibility that the Kids at your event have done an egg and spoon race half a million times, so mixing up the conventional execution might be a good idea. Here are a few fun alternatives that you can play to keep the game alive:
- Have the Kids hold the spoons in their mouths to make it more challenging. Please only attempt this variation with older Children and if you are using wooden spoons. Safety first!
- Left hands only – this is exactly as it sounds. Have the children race holding the spoons with the weaker hand. If they are left-handed, let them use the right hand.
- Obstacles – Place some strategic obstacles throughout your race course. The kids will have a blast dodging and climbing around them while trying to keep from dropping the eggs.
Boom, boom, pow! There you have it: how to plan, prepare for and absolutely rock an Egg and Spoon race at your next Birthday bash. If, like many parents, you don’t fancy having to organize and plan the whole thing yourself, you can hire a professional on the Yombu marketplace to come in and do it for you. Click here to see more.
Faqs:
Are there any Egg and Spoon racing records?
Glad you asked. Here are some of our favorite Egg and Spoon race records:
The fastest 100m egg and spoon race record was set in 2014 by Australian Sally Pearson, coming in at 16.59 seconds.
New Yorker Ashrita Furman set the 100m record for an egg and spoon held in the mouth at 25.13 seconds.
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