Sinterklaas games for adults: dice game, present-passing game and more
The rules of the dice game, a ready-made story for the present-passing game, steal or keep, and the poem quiz.
Without children in the house, Sinterklaas often turns into an evening of drawing names and reading poems. Nice, but once the presents are unwrapped it’s over quickly. Add a game and it becomes an evening that everyone joins in. Below are four games for adults: the dice game, a present-passing game with a story, steal or keep and the poem quiz, with the rules included.
The Sinterklaas dice game
The best-known Sinterklaas game for adults. Everyone brings two or three small wrapped presents and puts them in a pile in the middle. Taking turns, you roll a die and do what goes with the number.
- 1Take a present from the pile.
- 2Pass a present to the left.
- 3Pass a present to the right.
- 4Swap a present with anyone you like.
- 5Take a present from someone else.
- 6Roll again.
As long as the pile hasn’t run out, a 4 or 5 only lets you take from the pile. Set a timer for twenty minutes. When the pile is empty or time is up, the second round starts: now you can only steal and swap, and the presents are unwrapped. After ten minutes everyone keeps what they have.
A present-passing game with a story
Everyone sits in a circle with one wrapped present on their lap. One person reads out a story. When the word left, everyone passes their present to the left. When right, it goes to the right. The present you’re holding when the story ends is yours. Read at a steady pace, and read the words left and right slightly louder.
It was the evening before pakjesavond (Sinterklaas gift night), and the Piets’ house was chaos. The Saint walked from left to right along the corridor, wondering where the Great Book had gone.
‘I’d put it down here on the right side of the table,’ he said. The Piet who was wrapping the presents looked up from his work. ‘Then someone has pushed it over to the left side. Everything always ends up there.’
But on the left there were only rolls of paper and a heap of bows. The Piet who looked after the horse came in with a bucket of carrots. ‘I’ve seen the book,’ he said. ‘It was in the stable, over on the right next to the hay.’
They walked to the stable together. The horse looked at them and turned its head to the left. There, under a blanket, lay something. It wasn’t the book, but a bag of pepernoten (small spiced biscuits). The Saint laughed. ‘That explains why you’re getting so fat.’
Then they heard something creak, all the way over on the right in the stable. On a high shelf, half hidden behind the saddles, lay the Great Book. The Saint raised his staff, but couldn’t reach it. The Piet climbed onto a crate, reached to the right and brought the book down.
‘Thank goodness,’ said the Saint, and he opened it. ‘Now I remember who’s been good.’ He read the list from left to right, nodded contentedly and snapped the book shut. ‘Everyone in this room may keep their present.’
Steal or keep
A variant on the dice game without the die, handy if you’re with a big group. Everyone draws a number. Number one takes a present from the pile and unwraps it. Number two chooses: a new present from the pile, or steal number one’s unwrapped present. Anyone who has a present stolen takes a new one. A present can only be stolen twice, after which it belongs to its latest owner.
The game works because everyone can see what’s already out. The best present goes round a few times, and the last player has the most to choose from.
The poem quiz
Everyone writes a short Sinterklaas poem about someone else beforehand, without a name. The poems go in a bag and are read out one by one. The group guesses who it’s about and who wrote it. One point for the right person, one point for the right poet.
Agree beforehand that the poems stay friendly. Teasing someone about their constant lateness is fine, anything that hurts isn’t.
A Sinterklaas quiz to finish
After the unwrapping, the energy often dips. A short team quiz brings it back. In the Sinterklaas quiz with answers there are questions about songs, sweets and the history of the Saint, enough for three or four rounds.
With your club or company
A present-passing game is a great part of a Sinterklaas party for adults. Are children coming too? The page about Sinterklaas parties for companies and clubs describes what we do for the children, from Piet gym to Piet diploma.
Frequently asked questions
How many presents do you need for the dice game?
Two to three per person works well. With fewer the game is over quickly, with more it takes too long. Agree a budget per present, usually between €2 and €5.
How long does the dice game last?
Set a timer. Twenty minutes for the first round, in which everyone takes presents, and ten to fifteen minutes for the second round, in which you can steal and swap. Without a timer it goes on forever.
What’s the difference between a present-passing game and a dice game?
With the dice game, the die decides what you do. In a present-passing game with a story, someone reads a story out and you pass your present left or right whenever those words come up. The story is calmer and works well as an opener, the dice game is busier.
Can you play Sinterklaas games at work too?
Yes. In the office the present-passing game with a story and steal or keep work best, because everyone joins in at the same time and it’s finished within half an hour. Do agree a low budget, so nobody feels awkward.
Sinterklaas party with your club?
We provide a programme for the children and, if you like, a game for the adults afterwards. Tell us the date and the number of children and we’ll send a proposal.
View the Sinterklaas party
