GoodHolidayStore planning guide
Rad Tech Week Is Tomorrow? Run One Emoji Round
Rad Tech Week is almost here, someone asked what you're doing, and your answer is “working on it.” Print one emoji sheet, hand out pens and run a 5–8 minute round at the break table. That's the rescue: 20 puzzles, an answer key and nothing to cut.
Check the room before you pick a game
Look at the room before you look at the game list. Will everyone sit down together? Is there a clear patch of table for writing? Can you stay to finish the activity, or are you also the person collecting lunch?
A sheet people can work through suits a short shared break. A turn-taking game needs a group willing to listen. A pile of cut-apart cards needs someone to cut them. That last job is easy to overlook when you're choosing from a thumbnail on your phone.
Write down your actual stopping point: “We'll reveal answers before people leave.” Then work backward. Leave time for checking, a thank-you and clearing the table. If the available break shrinks, remove a second activity rather than rushing the first.
The one-sheet rescue: 20 emoji puzzles
The Radiology Tech Week Emoji Game gives you 20 emoji puzzles, an answer key and a how-to-play guide. Its instructions suggest a 5–8 minute timer, with the most correct guesses winning. Add a little time around that for explaining and checking; the timer isn't the whole gathering.
Pick the A4 or US Letter file that matches your paper. Both single-page and two-per-page layouts are included among the four PDFs. Print at 100% scale and look at a test sheet before making the rest. Tiny clues aren't a useful paper saving if everyone has to lean across lunch to see them.
Keep the answer key with you. Let people puzzle first, then reveal the answers together. Pairs work too. Give every pair the same sheet and the same stopping point.
Already own a bundle? Open it before shopping
The 25-game Rad Tech Week Games bundle includes Rad Tech Trivia Showdown, Imaging Fact or Fiction, X-Ray Room I-Spy and Imaging History Timeline. It also has group challenges and The Missing Lead Marker. You have options; you don't have an obligation to run all 25.
For today, inspect one picture or puzzle activity and its matching answer material. The bundle includes a Quick Host Guide and keys for objective games. Its general setup mentions pens, a timer and one die, so check the selected game's directions before assuming the pens are enough.
The full-page Letter and A4 files have 39 pages each; the two-per-page editions have 21. You can print only what you need. Some games span two pages, and the smaller edition keeps those pages together rather than promising two complete games on every sheet.
That makes “print the whole bundle” a poor emergency plan. Find the activity, check its complete page range and make a small packet. Leave the rest in the download for a day when you have time to enjoy choosing.
The 15-game pack: what's different
National Radiologic Technology Week Games is a separate 15-game pack. It includes Word Search, Word Scramble, Rebus Puzzles, Picture Memory, Forbidden Words and Draw & Pass. Its full-page editions have 31 pages each, including 19 activity pages; the two-up editions have 16 landscape sheets.
Word Search is worth inspecting when you want a seated paper activity. Picture Memory takes a little staging: players study a scene, you hide it, then they answer ten questions. Forbidden Words and Charades involve cut-apart cards. Draw & Pass uses a group of three, so it needs a different seating plan from an individual puzzle.
| Today's constraint | First option to inspect | Job to finish beforehand |
|---|---|---|
| One quick guessing round | Standalone emoji game | Separate key and player sheets |
| You own the 25-game bundle | A picture or puzzle activity | Find its directions and matching key |
| You own the 15-game pack | Word Search or Rebus Puzzles | Print the complete selected page |
| Nobody can lead a round | Personal thank-you notes | Write a specific message for each person |
Invite people without asking for a commitment
Try: “There's an optional radiology puzzle at the break table. We'll check it together before lunch ends.” That tells people what to expect without asking them to commit to a party they can't stay for.
Skip the race. People are eating, arriving late or just glad to sit down. Say up front that it's unscored and you'll enjoy the answers together.
If you have no printer access, switch plans early. A short thank-you round works without a purchase: invite people to name one everyday task a colleague made easier, with passing welcome. Keep examples general and leave patient details out. A prepared conversation beats a printable nobody can print.
End it before lunch does
Set the key beside your own place, away from the player stack. When the answering time ends, bring the group back with a simple “Let's see how we did.” Read the answers, let people enjoy their guesses and thank everyone who joined.
Then stop. Don't reach for another page just because the room is cheerful; save fresh copies for another day. A small activity feels intentional when it has an introduction, a shared finish and room for lunch in between.
For another gathering with more preparation time, the radiology bingo hosting guide covers boards, markers and the calling set. Today, one complete game is enough.
Questions and answers
What should I pick if I have no time to cut cards?
Hand out the emoji game. It needs player sheets and pens, nothing cut. If you own the 15-game pack, Word Search is the other no-scissors pick; save the Forbidden Words and Charades cards for a day with prep time.
Are the two radiology bundles the same games?
They are different collections. The 25-game pack includes X-Ray Room I-Spy; the 15-game pack includes Word Search, Rebus Puzzles and Draw & Pass.
Does the emoji game need a host?
Someone explains the round, starts the 5–8 minute timer and reads answers from the key afterward. That's the whole job. Nobody calls clues aloud, so the host can eat too.
What can I do without buying anything?
Write one specific thank-you per colleague ("you kept the schedule sane this week") and read one prompt at the break, like "Which task did a teammate make easier lately?" Five minutes, no printer.