Bobbing for Apples
This classic fall harvest game is a country tradition and often play at Halloween parties, but we have come up with a few new ideas too. 2 Versions of Bobbin for Apples and then 5 oprions fro Catch the Apples including a hard version at the bottom of the page.
Classic Bobbing for Apples
A large steel tub is filled with water and apples are added to the water.
How many apples?
We recommend at least 1.5 apples per person as it gets harder to get the apples as the game goes along. (Another option if you are timing them, is to always have the same number of apples in the water for each turn – ie 5 apples)
Now that the apples are in the water, the guests are instructed that they must grab an apple and pull it out of the water using just their mouth.
Some kids might be able to grab an apple’s stem but in many cases the children must bite into the apple to get it out of the water.
End of Game and Bobbing for Apples Winner
There are several options for ending the game and declaring a winner.
1. All the guests take a turn and retrieve an apple. Activity – No Winner
2. If the tub is large enough, all the children start at the same time and the first child to get an apple wins.
3. Each child takes a turn and you time how fast they get their apple. Fast time wins.
Notes:
Bibs and towels are recommended for this wet game.
Adult supervision for this game
Bobbing for Apples games not intended for young children
Bobbing For Apples Relay
In this version of Bobbing for Apples two steel tubs and sets of apples are needed as guests are divide into 2 or more teams. Note, you will need one tub for each team.
The tubs are placed at one end of the room and a start line at the other.
Note: Danger of slipping and falling on wet floors. We recommend you play this game outdoors and with caution.
The teams line up and when the host says Go! The first player of each team races to the tub with apples and bobs until they get the apple without using their hands.
Once they have the apple, they must race back to the start line tag the next person and they carefully head to the tub to get their apple and then return to the line to tag the next person.
This process continues until all member of one team have retrieved their apples and everyone is behind the start line and is declared the Winner!
Variation – Catch the Apples
Supplies: Large steel tub, water, apples, string and small buckets / pails with handle (they can be plastic or metal and should be large enough for an apple to fit inside – we saw some in Target for $1)
This game is similar to Bobbing for Apples however you don’t have the germ concern and it is not as messy. Catch the Apples can be played by lots of kids at once, as individuals, by teams or as a relay.
Game Preparation
The tub is filled with water and the apples are placed in the tub.
Take a length of string that is roughly two feet long. The string need to be long enough so it reaches from the child’s arm into the steel tub, yet short enough so they raised their hand to pull the bucket / pail out.
One end of the string is tied to each bucket / pail and the other end is tied to form a loop that goes over child’s hand and sits on the wrist during play.
Playing Catch the Apples
1. All Play, Quick Version
Each child is given a bucket / pail and it is slipped over their wrist and they stand around the tub.
Players are told that they must drop their bucket in the water and Catch the Apple in their bucket / pail and successful pull it out of the water. First player to do this wins.
2. All Play, Collect Apples
Each child is given a bucket / pail and it is slipped over their wrist and they stand around the tub.
Players are told that they must drop their bucket in the water, catch an Apple in their bucket / pail and successful pull it out of the water and place on their apple pile, which is several feet behind them.
Play Catch the Apples for a timed period like 3 minutes or until all the apples have been pulled from the water.
The player having the most apples in their apple pile wins.
3. Individual Play, Timed
Each child is given a bucket / pail and it is slipped over their wrist and told to stand at the start line. When you say go that child has 1 minute to run to the tub and use the bucket / pail to pull out as many apples as possible and place on his apple pile.
At the end of their turn, the apples are counted, the number recorded, the apples are returned to the tub and the next player gets ready to take their turn. If you have a lot of guests you can have two players go at a time.
Player collecting the most apples in 1 minute wins .
4. Teams Relay Race
In this version, there should only be 1 apple placed in the tub per person. So if there are 5 players on a team only 5 apples are placed in the tub. Maybe 6 if you want to be nice.
Each child is given a bucket / pail and it is slipped over their wrist and told to stand at the start line. When you say go the first team member runs to the tub and use the bucket / pail to pull out 1 apple, set it on the designated apple pile, return to the start line, take the bucket off their wrist and place on the next player. Once the next player has the bucket on their wrist they must complete the same process.
This continues until the last player is given the bucket, runs down and catches the last apple, places it on the apple pile and crosses the finish line.
The first team to do this wins!
Harder Adult Version of Catch the Apples Relay Race
This adult version is silly and fun and is best played with a oblong steel tub rather than a round one.
In this version, you need to tub, apples, buckets / pails and instead of making the string go around the wrist the string must be long enough to be tied around the waist or belt loop (basically they have to tie it so the bucket swings between their legs) and two or more teams. We also recommend a video camera to record this.
Once the bucket / pail is attached the player must go from the start line to the tub and squat down to catch an apple in the bucket without using their arms. Might sound easy but it is difficult and funny.
When they have the apple in their bucket they must walk with the bucket and the apple between their legs and safely return to the apple pile where they can remove the apple from the bucket.
Once that is complete they untie the bucket and hand it to the next person, who must do the same thing.
The game continues until every member has completed the task.
First team done wins.
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