CHAPTER IV

SOCIABLE GAMES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

What Animal?

The leader whispers the name of a different animal or object to each individual. When called upon each must try to represent the noise or

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represented and write the same on a slip of paper. The one guessing the most wins.

Rhyming Verbs

Half of the group leaves the room while the others decide upon a verb. The group which left the room is then called back and tries to guess the verb from the clues which are given by those who determined the verb. These clues are given in the form of sentences containing words rhyming with the verb. Should the group which is to guess think they have found the right verb, they retire from the room without stating it and returning act out the verb. If they have been successful in guessing the verb, then the other group is given an opportunity to guess a verb in the same manner.

Fruit Basket

The group is seated in a circle and counted off in 4's. The number 1's are given the name of oranges, number 2's lemons, number 3's bananas, number 4's apples. One of the individuals is selected to be "It". He takes his place in the centre of the group and one chair is taken out of the circle, leaving one less chair than there are players. "It" then calls the name of two fruits, for example, oranges and lemons. Thereupon all of the oranges must exchange places with all of the lemons and "It" endeavors to capture one of the seats. Succeeding, the one left without a seat is "It" and calls two other kinds of fruit. These two must change places and "It" endeavors to capture a seat. Should "It" say "Fruit basket", instead of naming two fruits, all must change seats.

Exchange

The group is arranged in seats around the room. "It" takes a place in the centre. All of the players are given a different number. "It" is blindfolded. The game is started by "It" calling two numbers. Thereupon the numbers called must change seats. "It" tries to either tag one of the players seeking to change seats or occupy one of the vacant seats, in which case the one without a chair becomes "It".

Barnyard Chorus

Each player in the group is given some barnyard noise to represent. The leader takes his place in the centre of the room. If he holds up his left hand, all is quiet; if he holds up his right hand, they all imitate their various noises in concert. Should one of the players make a noise while the leader is holding up his left hand, that player must stand up before his chair and imitate the noise he has been given to imitate, until some member of the group can guess what the noise is supposed to represent.

Donkey Solo

This is a good game to follow immediately after the Barnyard Chorus. The leader announces that he is to whisper to each member of the group the name of some animal that is to be imitated by that member in chorus with the others. He then goes about and whispers in the ear of every member of the group that he is to keep perfectly quiet, excepting to one individual to whom he suggests that he is to imitate the braying of a donkey. He then takes his position in the centre of the group and instructs the players to give as much volume to their imitation as possible. He gives the signal to start. Naturally, all are quiet except the poor donkey who brays his solo, to the amusement of the other members of the group.

Shifting Seats

The group is seated in a circle. There is one more chair than there are players. One individual is selected to be "It" and takes his place in the centre of the room. "It" gives the command to shift right. Thereupon, the one at the left of the vacant chair moves into the vacant chair, leaving his own chair vacant. The one at the left of his chair, moves into that, each one trying to get into the vacant chair to the right before "It" can succeed in touching him. "It" can give the command "Shift left" at any time, which means that they must move into the vacant chair to the left. Should "It" succeed in sitting in an empty chair, the one who should have occupied that chair becomes "It".

Guess the Sound

The group is arranged in a circle. The one selected to be "It" is blindfolded and takes a position in the centre of the circle. After the blindfolded player has been spun around a few times so that he does not know his location, he is given a wand or short stick. He holds this stick out in front of one member of the group. That member must grasp the end of the stick. Then "It" names some animal which the player on the other end of the stick must imitate by some sound. Thereupon, the blindfolded player tries to guess who has hold of the other end of the stick. Succeeding, the player guessed is blindfolded.

Rapid Transit

The players form in a circle. To each is given some article to be passed. These articles should vary in size anywhere from a peanut to a flat iron. The game starts by the leader commanding them to pass to the right. He then passes his article on to his right hand neighbor and receives in turn from his left hand neighbor the article coming to him. The passing continues until the leader gives the command "Change". Then the articles are passed in the opposite direction. Should a player drop one of the articles to be passed or should any one of the players have in his possession more than two articles at one time, that individual drops out of the game, taking one article with him. The game continues until but one is left in the circle. The passing can be complicated, if so desired, by having one or two of the articles passed in the opposite direction.

Feather Tag

The group sits in a circle in the centre of the room, holding a large sheet stretched tightly between them. A fluffy feather is placed in the centre of the sheet. One of the group who is "It" endeavors by running about, to catch the feather. Those sitting around the edge of the sheet keep the feather from "It" by blowing it beyond "It's" reach. Should "It" capture the feather, the one sitting at the edge of the sheet nearest to the feather becomes "It".

Birds

All the players sit in a circle. Each is given the name of a bird. The keeper takes a position in the centre of the room and begins to tell a story about birds. When a bird's name is mentioned, that bird must stand up and turn around once in front of his chair. Failing to do this, he must pay a forfeit. When the keeper utters the word "migrate" in his story, all of the birds must change seats and he tries to get one of the seats. Succeeding, the one left without a seat, continues the bird story. Otherwise the first keeper continues his story.

Simple Simon's Silly Smile

The group is arranged in chairs around the room. The one who is selected to be "It" goes from one to another asking questions. All questions must be answered by "Simple Simon's Silly Smile", without laughing. Should the one questioned laugh, he must take the place of the one who is "It".

Wink

Chairs are arranged around the room in a circle, with the boys standing behind each chair. There should be one more chair than there are girls in the group. The boy standing behind the empty chair winks at one of the girls who endeavors to get to the vacant chair before the boy in whose chair she is sitting can tag her. If she succeeds, the boy behind the chair last vacated continues the game by winking at another girl.

Hush

The group sits in a circle in a room which is semi-dark. The leader goes around inside of the circle and slips a button in the hands of one of the players. He does this after making an offer to do it to several others, so as to disguise where he finally deposits the button. All then have a turn to guess in whose hands the button lies. The one who guesses right becomes the leader, and the leader becomes a ghost. The game then continues as before. The ghost asks questions of any of the players, and they are not supposed to answer any question asked them except by the leader. Should they do so, they also become ghosts. As the ghosts multiply the game becomes more difficult. The game continues until but two are left of the circle.

Jack's Alive

The group sits in a circle in the room. A lighted splinter is handed to one of the group in the circle. It is then passed around the circle, still lighted. Should the flame become extinguished, the one in whose hand the splinter rests at that time must pay a forfeit. The forfeit sometimes demanded is that a mustache be made on the upper lip of that individual with the charred end of the splinter.

In passing the splinter the player must say Jack's Alive; failing to do this the splinter is returned to him and should it become extinguished before he can say this, it counts against him.

Going to Jerusalem

The chairs are arranged in a circle in the center of the room, with the seats away from the center. There should be one less chair than there are participants in the game. The participants form a line around the outside of the chairs and march forward around the chairs, while the piano, phonograph, or some other musical instrument is being played. The instant the music stops each player tries to sit in a chair. The one failing to get a chair drops out of the game. A chair is taken from the circle and the group starts marching again with the music. When the music stops they seek chairs as before, the one failing to secure one dropping out. A chair is taken out of the circle after each scramble and so the group diminishes until all are eliminated except one, who is crowned King of Jerusalem. If the group be large more than one chair can be eliminated at a time.

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