1. Estimation jar
Fill a jar with sweets or baubles; guests write their guess on a slip. Closest guess wins the jar. Zero pressure, zero explanation needed.
Year in review quiz for work: five rounds about your team's year
Updated: 2026-10-20
December is the one time of year when a team looks back together. A year in review quiz turns that into a game: what happened, in which month, and how many of it. It fits the Christmas party, the last team meeting of the year or a short online session before the holidays.
Below are five rounds that work for teams of 5 to 100, ideas for questions in each round and a plan for collecting the material without much work. Every round has a version that new colleagues can win too.
Five rounds for 45 minutes
- Our year in numbers (10 min): closest-guess questions about new colleagues, coffee, kilometres travelled, tickets closed.
- Month by month (8 min): put four events of the year in the right order. Good for mixed teams, because guessing the order works without insider knowledge.
- Zoom-in photos (8 min): a close-up of something from the office or the team events. Who recognises it first?
- The wider world (10 min): five news moments your team will remember. Check each date on a reliable source before the quiz.
- Plans for next year (5 min): one fun question about next year's goals, revealed in January.
Question ideas
- How many new colleagues joined us this year? Closest guess wins.
- Which came first this year: [event A] or [event B]?
- Which product, project or customer got its name this year?
- What was the most booked meeting room this year?
- Emoji film round as a warm-up: ready-made Christmas film puzzles with answers.
Collect the material in one week
- Ask each team lead for two numbers and one photo from their year.
- Look through the team chat and calendar for the big moments: launches, moves, events.
- Ask people before you use a photo with them in it.
- Write the questions with one colleague and check every number twice.
The games
2. Zoomed-in picture guess
Show an extreme close-up of a holiday object (a pine needle, tinsel, a gingerbread corner) and zoom out step by step. Fewer steps = more points.
3. Blind ranking
Five holiday items are revealed one by one (e.g. cookies, films, songs) and each must be placed 1 to 5 immediately: no moving later. Sparks easy, low-stakes debate.
Host tips
- Mix insider questions with questions anyone can guess. New colleagues should be able to score in every round.
- Use closest-wins for numbers instead of exact answers. It keeps every team in the game.
- Keep it positive. A look back at mistakes or departures does not belong in a party quiz.
- Want your year in a quiz show without writing it yourself? The personal round turns 10 to 15 facts into a ready round.
FAQ
How long should a year in review quiz be?
About 45 minutes with five short rounds. As part of a Christmas party, two or three of the rounds are enough.
Can I play it online?
Yes. Share the quiz screen in the call and collect answers in the chat or on phones. Photo rounds work especially well on a shared screen.
Where do I get the news questions?
Pick the events your team talked about and check each date on a reliable source. Do not copy question lists without checking, dates are often wrong.