Halloween Mummy Wrap Game: Rules, Rolls and Judging

The mummy wrap race is easy to start and easy to spoil. Without rules, one team uses six rolls, another team tears everything, and the judge gets booed. The game below keeps it fair with a set number of rolls, a time limit and a judging sheet. It is for ages 5 and up, with a safe version for the youngest guests.

Step 1: Gather the supplies for the Halloween mummy wrap game

You need toilet paper, a timer, a trash bag and a few sheets of paper for the judging sheet. Optional extras are masking tape for repairs, a big roll of paper to put on the floor and a phone to take a photo of each mummy.

Buy the cheapest plain white rolls. Thin paper tears the same way for every team, and nobody minds losing it. Quilted, scented or colored paper is harder to tear and can leave dye on skin and clothes.

Play on a floor that you can sweep, or outside on a dry day. Paper stuck to a wet lawn is a chore. Keep the game away from candles, jack-o'-lanterns with open flames and the buffet table.

The table below shows how the steps fit together.

Step 2: Choose teams and decide how many rolls each team gets

Make teams of two or three. In a team of two, one player wraps and one is the mummy. In a team of three, two wrap and one is the mummy. Teams of four or more leave somebody with nothing to do.

Give every team the same number of rolls. We suggest two rolls for a team of two and three rolls for a team of three. These are our own rules of thumb, not a measured number: a child can be fully wrapped with less, but a set limit makes the game fair and stops one team from burying the room in paper. Keep two or three spare rolls in a bag for tears.

A quick shopping rule: rolls needed equals the number of teams times the rolls per team, plus two spares. Three teams of two need six rolls and two spares, so eight in all.

Choose mummies by turns. Let children who are shy about being wrapped stay as wrappers, and give the role to someone who asked for it.

Step 3: Run the wrap race from the shoulders down

Each mummy stands still with arms a little out from the sides, like a scarecrow. At the word "wrap", teammates wrap toilet paper around the mummy's body from the shoulders down. They walk around the mummy and pass the roll from hand to hand. Torn paper has to be patched with a new piece, so tears do not end the game.

The face and neck stay clear at all times. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that eye and nose holes in masks should permit full visibility and adequate breathing. The University of Kentucky extension adds that masks, wigs and floppy hats should not impair children's vision, so a child can see where they are going. Both statements are about costumes, and the same sense applies to a paper mummy: a mummy that cannot see or breathe well is a mummy who stops the game. A grown-up watches every mummy's face during the race.

Set the timer for five minutes. Call out the time at the half-way mark and again at the last minute. When time is up, everyone steps back with hands up, and the judge walks around.

Step 4: Judge the mummies with a four-line score sheet

A loud vote rewards the biggest team. A score sheet is quieter and fairer. The judge is a grown-up, or two older children who are not playing, and scores each mummy on four lines.

Add the lines for a score out of 20. The highest score wins, and a tie goes to a one-minute re-wrap of a single arm. Hand out the same small prize to every team, so nobody leaves empty-handed.

Copy the four lines onto a sheet of paper before the party, with a column for each team. The sheet takes two minutes to write and saves five minutes of arguing.

Step 5: Make the mummy wrap safe for small children

Wrapping is a game for children who are old enough to stand still, follow a rule and say "stop". For younger children, change the game so everyone can join in.

• Ages 3 to 4: Wrap a teddy bear, a doll or a chair leg instead of a child. Each child wraps their own toy, and nobody is judged.
• Toddlers: Let them tear strips of paper and drop them in a basket. This is a mess-friendly game that needs no mummy at all.
• Babies: Do not wrap babies. Let the baby watch a sibling wrap a toy, and keep every piece of paper out of the baby's mouth and away from the face.
• Anyone who dislikes being wrapped: Wrap one arm or one leg only, or let the child be the judge.

Keep the arms and legs loose and the face open for any child. A grown-up should stay beside the mummy, within arm's reach, for the whole round. Stop the game at once if a child is upset.

Wrapping a person is the wrong choice for a group where anyone has a skin condition, a fear of being held still or limited mobility. Use the teddy bear version for the whole group in that case.

A good party game ends with everyone laughing and nobody cleaning alone.

Step 6: Unwrap and sweep up

The unwrapping race is a second game for the same paper. Each mummy rolls the paper back onto the tube as fast as they can, or the team collects the pieces into a trash bag. Give a point for every bag filled to the top. Then sweep the floor, and you are done.

If you want more games after the paper is gone, the Party Games Bundle collects eight printable Halloween games. The mummy wrap needs no printable, so you can run it next to picture bingo and a scavenger hunt.

Free party games are easy to find, and the mummy wrap itself costs only a few rolls. Paying for printables makes sense when you want the other games in one matching design, with nothing to redraw. Every Party Games Bundle download holds both US Letter and A4 pages, so print at actual size on your home printer, as often as you need for your own party. The files are PDFs that open in any PDF reader, so you need no other app. The PDF comes by email after checkout, so you can print it the same day.