GoodHolidayStore planning guide
CNA Week Awards Without the Popularity Contest
You want CNA Week to feel like a real thank-you, but the second someone says "awards" you start worrying about who gets overlooked. So thank the whole team first, add a few specific certificates, and let one optional game carry the social part. Nobody has to vote, compete or make a speech. Decide what you'll say before you hit print.
Write the thank-you before you pick the winners
Think of one contribution you can describe plainly: helping a new colleague settle in, noticing someone needed backup, making a rough day easier. Write one sentence about what they did and why it mattered. That beats a generic "great job" every time.
Ask another organizer to check your names against the people you're inviting. Include colleagues on other shifts and anyone who can't make the gathering. It's easy to remember the faces you see daily and miss the people holding things together while you're elsewhere.
You don't need to buy anything for this part. A handwritten, specific note works beautifully. On a small budget, put your effort here first and build the games around whatever time is left.
Give each certificate a reason
The CNA Week Games Bundle combines 12 printable activities with a host guide, answer keys and open-game notes, a superlatives ballot, and four award certificates. Use it when you want recognition pages and something for the table in the same download.
The listed certificates are MVP CNA, Heart of the Floor, Calm in the Chaos, and Caffeine-Powered Hero. Read each title out loud and picture the person getting it. A playful category lands best when the recipient will enjoy the joke too.
You don't have to fill every certificate. Pick a couple of categories, decide who chooses the recipients, and tell the group how it works. If you use the ballot, give every shift the same chance to fill it in before you collect it.
Keep game results and appreciation separate. A trivia winner and a thanked colleague are two different moments, and nobody should wonder whether they needed the right answers to deserve a certificate.
An activity table people can start without you
You don't need twelve stacks of paper out. Start with CNA Word Search, CNA Crossword, or Color the Care Kit from the bundle. Read the page and its instructions, then set it out with the supplies it needs.
Keep the matching answer key in your host folder. The bundle includes keys for the crossword, word search, word scramble, cryptogram, logic puzzle, and I Spy counts, plus notes for the open games. Make sure the key matches the page you printed.
At a relaxed gathering, tell people they can grab a page, team up, or just sit and talk. For a scored round, explain the finish and the answer reveal before anyone begins. One clear invitation beats a table where nobody knows if the pages are decoration.
Try a table note like this, in your own words: "Take a puzzle if you'd like. Pens are beside the stack. We'll share answers at the end of lunch." Change the last line if people come through across several breaks.
Want a quiz? Give it its own slot
Standalone CNA Trivia gives you 20 multiple-choice questions across two player pages, a complete answer key, and a host and print guide. The listing supplies A4 and US Letter files. Pick it when your group likes answering questions together more than browsing activities.
The listing suggests 10 to 15 minutes for the quiz. Add your own time for handing out pages and reading answers, because the timer isn't the whole party. Have both question pages ready so nobody reaches question ten and has to hunt for the rest.
Pairs can work together if you say so before handing out sheets, especially if you'll name a winner. Keep the answer key face down in your folder, and bring enough pens that the first minute isn't a drawer search.
Nurse Bingo, if the whole break overlaps
Nurse Bingo is a general nursing picture game, not a CNA-specific set. It includes 50 player boards, 36 calling cards, a checklist, printable tokens and a host guide. It makes a good companion when the group wants a shared called game.
Set a start time so everyone hears the same calls. Give each person a different board, mark FREE, and explain the winning pattern before the first draw. Read and show the pictures, and keep the drawn cards so you can check a claimed win.
The printable token sheet holds 36 markers for one player. Print extra copies for the others or gather removable markers. That small supply detail matters more than any decoration when a full room is waiting to start.
| Your gathering | Start here | Organizer's job |
|---|---|---|
| Colleagues arriving separately | One bundle activity | Set out supplies and explain answer access |
| A seated quiz break | Standalone CNA Trivia | Print both player pages and keep the key |
| Everyone together for calls | General Nurse Bingo | Cut calls and provide markers |
Don't forget the people who weren't there
Before you clear the table, separate unused player pages from host materials. Leave the next organizer a short note: what was played, where the answers are, which certificates still need handing over. A tidy stack is a gift to whoever runs this next.
Put absent colleagues' notes and certificates in their own envelope, and decide who delivers them. A sheet pinned to the noticeboard doesn't count. Recognition lands harder when someone puts it in your hand.
At the gathering itself, keep the close short: thank the team, hand out the recognition you prepared, and let people get back to talking. If someone lingers for a chat after the organized part, that's your sign it worked.
Questions and answers
Should everyone vote on the awards?
Only if you want a team vote. Explain the categories first and let other shifts vote too. If you'd rather have organizers pick recipients, that works as long as you say so clearly.
What can I do without buying a game?
Write specific thank-you notes and invite colleagues to add their own messages. Put each in a named envelope so people who miss the gathering still get theirs.
Is Nurse Bingo made specifically for CNAs?
No, it's a general nursing picture game. If the CNA theme matters most, start with the CNA bundle or CNA Trivia.