=Packing the Trunk.= A game adapted from the French, that is very
popular among the little people of America, is a good test for the
memory.
The children must sit in a circle, and one, as leader, announces in
this fashion: “I pack my trunk, and in it I put”—mentioning some
articles used in traveling, as gloves, brush or cologne. The next
child begins then, saying what the leader has said and adding another
article, and so on around the circle, each child repeating all the
articles mentioned by the previous one in their correct order, and
then adding one more to the list, which after a while assumes lengthy
proportions. If one boy or girl forgets one article or puts it in the
wrong order, he or she must drop out of the game, and so on until only
one child remains.
=Blowing Ping-pong Balls.= Arrange the players with their hands behind
them along the sides of a long extension table, down the centre of
which a row of ping-pong balls are placed at intervals of about two
feet. Appoint two judges and place them at the ends of the table.
At a given word, the players on both sides begin to blow the balls,
endeavoring to blow them off their opponents’ side of the table and to
prevent any balls from being blown off of their own side. Each ball
blown off counts five points. The game is 100 points.
=Doing the Impossible.= A sure way to raise a laugh among a party of
friends, is to claim that you can do an apparently impossible thing,
and then get your friends to try it; then, when they have tried and
failed, do the very thing they failed on, in a simple way which has
never occurred to them. Here is a deception which seldom fails to work
and which always provides a lot of fun, even to those who are fooled by
it.
Begin by saying something about ant-eaters, which have such long
tongues that they can touch the ground with them without lowering
their heads, and then ask one of your friends if he can put out his
tongue and touch his ear. He will try, gently at first, then harder,
and at length make the funniest faces by trying to do that, which is
of course, impossible. Then others will try poking their tongues out
of the corners of their mouths, and trying to curl them around their
cheeks until their ears are reached.
When they have finished, you put out your tongue, and touch your ear
with your finger.
=The Game of “It.”= Here is a game that will amuse any party, but you
must first find out adroitly that there is at least one person in the
company who has never been initiated into the mysteries. This one is
chosen to leave the room, but before he goes he must be told that those
in the room will select an object which he is to guess on his return.
He may ask as many questions as he wishes when the time comes, one
question at a time of each person consecutively, but his questions must
be so worded that they may be answered by “Yes,” “No,” or “I do not
know.”
When all this has been explained, the guesser leaves the room. The
leader then arranges the party in a circle, seating alternately a boy
with a girl, if possible, and explaining that each person must think of
the one sitting on his or her left, as the object chosen, and answer
all questions as if they applied to that person. You may imagine that
the conflicting answers arising from such an arrangement will confuse
the questioner, and much fun will be derived by those in the secret.
For instance the questioner may ask of No. 1, who is a girl, “Has it
life?” No 1 answers “Yes.” He then asks No. 2, who is a boy, “Is it
pretty?” and No. 2 very naturally answers “Yes,” for he is speaking of
the girl at his left. Then of No. 3, who is a girl, “Is it a girl?” and
No. 3, thinking of the boy on her left, answers “No.”
All this throws the questioner off the track—it has life, it is pretty,
but it is not a girl. So he naturally asks No. 4, who is a boy, “Is it
a boy?” and No. 4 answers “No.”
The questions will now be varied, to find something with life that is
pretty, and is neither a girl nor a boy, and the result will be very
amusing.
Or the questioner may ask such questions as “Is its hair long?” “Does
it wear short sleeves?” and so on, and all the conflicting answers will
tend to prolong the game to any desired extent.
=The Game of “Turtle.”= Here is a game for boys who have good, strong
muscles. It is called “turtle.” Any number may play, and the game
commences by all sitting in a row resting their chins on their knees,
and each holding his left ankle with his right hand, and his right
ankle with his left hand. This is a very difficult position to keep. At
a given signal, the turtles start for a goal a short distance away.
It is the object of the game for the turtles to waddle to the goal and
back to the starting point without removing their hands from their
feet. The winner is, of course, the one who returns to the starting
point first.
=The Game of “Empty Hands.”= Some member of the household produces a
quantity of small cards. The number is not quite sufficient to “go
round” the company, an intentional feature of the game. Four persons
find themselves empty-handed when the bell rings. This bell is a signal
for the passing, the object being to find some one without a card and
rid one’s self of the one in hand by passing it on. No one to whom a
card is offered is allowed to refuse it, unless, of course, he already
holds one. If empty-handed he is obliged to receive the unwelcome gift
and try to get rid of it as quickly as possible.
Each time the bell rings which occurs at irregular intervals, making
it impossible to calculate, the passing ceases, and all having empty
hands win a point to count towards the final prize. The boy or girl
having most points when the passing is over, receives a prize.
=Simon Says.= The players are arranged in a line, the player who
enacts Simon standing in front. He and all the others clench their
fists, keeping the thumb pointed upwards. No player is to obey his
commands unless prefaced with the words, “Simon says.” Simon is himself
subjected to the same rules. The game commences by Simon commanding,
“Simon says, ‘Turn up,’” on which he turns his thumb upwards, followed
by the other players. He then says “Simon says, ‘Turn down,’” and
brings his hands back again. When he has done so several times, and
thinks that the players are off their guard, he merely gives the word,
“Turn up,” or “Turn down,” without moving his hands. Some one, if not
all, is sure to obey the command, and is subject to a forfeit. Simon
is also subject to a forfeit, if he tells his companions to turn down,
if the thumbs are already down, or vice versa. With a sharp player
enacting Simon, the game is very spirited.
The simplicity of this game constitutes its chief charm, as the very
fact of its being so simple, sometimes leads to inattention on the part
of some of the players, which is sure to result in their being caught.
=Passing Bean-bags.= Make twelve or fifteen bags, six inches square, of
bed-ticking, and loosely fill them with beans which have been washed
and dried to remove the dust.
Appoint two leaders, who choose sides, arranging the sides in lines
facing each other, with a small table at each end of each line.
The bean-bags being equally divided, each leader deposits his share
upon the table nearest him. Then, at a given signal, seizing one bag at
a time with one hand, with the other he starts it down the line, each
player passing it to the next, until all the bags reach the last, who
drops them upon the table at his end of the line. When all the bags
have reached this table, the last player, seizing each in turn, sends
them back up the line to the leader, who drops them upon his table.
Whichever side first succeeds in passing all the bags down the line
and back, wins the round. It takes five rounds to make a game, so that
three out of five must be successful for the winning side.
=Buzz.= This is a simple little game that needs no preparation, but
can be started in a moment when there is danger of dullness. A large
company can play equally as well as a small. The leader instructs the
company that they will now proceed to count in regular order until they
come to seven, any multiple of seven, or any number having seven in
it, when they will substitute the word “buzz” for that number. Should
they fail to do this they will be dropped from the circle. This will
continue until every one has blundered. When the higher numbers are
reached it takes one quick in quantities to follow it. Given properly
it goes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, buzz, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, buzz, 15, 16,
buzz, 18, 19, 20, buzz, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, buzz, buzz, 29, 30, 31, 32,
33, 34, buzz, etc.
=Can You Laugh?= This is a little entertainment that will fill in some
vacant spot in an evening, or will serve as an impromptu. It can be
tried either by the ladies or gentlemen. If the ladies try it (and this
is likely to be more successful, as they laugh easier than men), let
them stand in a row. The gentlemen are then to endeavor to make them
laugh by every means possible, except to touch or threaten to touch.
The least departure from perfect soberness is called a laugh, and the
lady is to step out of the line and join the gentlemen in her endeavor
to make the ladies laugh. If it is desired that a prize be given, it
may be given to the lady who keeps from laughing longest.
=An Optical Game.= Present a ring to a person, or place it at some
distance and in such a manner that the plane of it shall be turned
towards a person’s face; and then bid him shut one of his eyes, and try
to push through it a crooked stick of sufficient length to reach it; he
will very rarely succeed.
=Blowing the Feather.= A simple and successful game is this
old-fashioned one. Having provided a sheet or tablecloth and a small
feather such as sofa pillows are stuffed with, ask your guests (all
but one) to be seated on the floor in a hollow square. The tablecloth
or sheet is then spread so that the players can hold the edges of the
sides and ends up, just under their chins, thus stretching the cloth
taut about a foot and a half above the floor. Upon the cloth the small
feather is placed, and the player who is left out of the square is
then told that he must do his best to catch it either in front of or
upon some one of the seated players, who will then be obliged to take
his place. At a signal, the players on the floor begin to blow, and
the feather flies hither and thither, never resting, while amid much
laughter the player who is out flies hither and thither, too, until he
catches it at last on some unwary individual or some one too weak from
laughing to blow quickly and effectively.
=Throwing the Handkerchief.= Two sides being seated in two rows facing
each other, a knotted handkerchief is thrown suddenly at one of the
players opposite, calling out at the same time, either “Earth!”
“Water!” “Air!” or “Fire!” If “Earth” is called, the player into whose
lap the handkerchief falls must name some quadruped before the other
can count ten; if “Air,” a bird; if “Water,” a fish; and if “Fire,” he
must remain perfectly still. Should the player fail to name an animal,
or name the wrong one, or speak when he ought to be silent, he must
drop out of the game, and the player who threw the handkerchief at him,
may take and throw it at some one else. But should he answer properly,
he must throw the handkerchief at a player on the opposite side, call
an element and count ten. In this way the game goes on until all but
one have dropped out, the remaining one being the winner.
=Going to Jerusalem.= Get a line of chairs, every other one facing
an opposite direction, one less chair than the number of people. As
the piano is played, they march around the line of chairs, and as the
music suddenly stops, each one tries to sit on the nearest chair, and
of course some one is left standing and is out of the game. The music
starts again, and one chair is taken out. The same thing is repeated
until there are two people left to one chair. It is very amusing to
watch these two cautiously moving about this chair, ready to seize it
the instant the music stops.
=Find the Whistle.= All the children but one sit down in a circle. The
one that is left standing, must be the one who does not know the game.
Some one takes a string, fastens a whistle to one end of it, and a bent
pin to the other, then quietly and secretly attaches the string by
the hook to the person’s back. Every time he turns his back toward any
one, the whistle is taken and blown. So it goes until the whistle is
discovered.
=The All-around Story Game.= One person in the room begins to relate
a story, and after telling enough to interest the hearers and arouse
their curiosity, suddenly breaking off, throws a knotted handkerchief
at some member of the party, calling upon him to continue the story.
This is kept up as long as possible. The more absurd and improbable the
better. If any one fails to respond upon receiving the handkerchief, he
or she must drop out. The one remaining last wins.
=An Obstacle Game.= Set stools, chairs, tables, or anything that is an
obstacle in the most convenient place in the room; let those who are
to take part in the game have two minutes to get their bearings. Then
they leave the room and come back blindfolded. In the meantime, all
the obstacles have been removed, but the warning cries of “Look out!”
and the absurd attempts of the players to remember where the obstacles
were, make much fun.
=Impudence.= This is played with two packs of cards. Seat the players
around the table and deal to them, one at a time all around, a whole
pack of cards; placing the other pack, face downward, in the centre of
the table.
The first player begins by turning up a card from the pack on the
table, at the same time asking some uncomplimentary question, which
is supposed to apply to the person holding the corresponding card.
This unfortunate player has a speedy revenge, however, as it is his
privilege to turn the next card and ask the next question.
Example: A [turning up card]—“Who is the most selfish person in this
room?”
B [who holds the duplicate]—“Evidently I am, but [turning another card]
who is the most conceited?”
C—“That must be I. Now [turning card], let us see who is the
stingiest.” And so on till the pack is exhausted.
=Rolling Chase-ball.= Two teams may play this game, and two big balls
or footballs are used. The teams line up in parallel rows, the players
not facing each other, but behind one another all facing the same way.
The leader of each team holds a ball in both hands.
At the appointed signal, the leader, without bending his body or
turning his head, tosses the ball backward to the player behind him.
The ball is tossed backward again, and so passes along the line. The
end player then runs to the head of the line, and the whole process is
repeated over again. The end player again goes to the front, and the
game is continued until the original leader of the team is again at the
head of his line. The team first reaching its order of formation wins
the game.
It is essential that the ball should travel swiftly. Should any player
drop the ball, he must run for it and regain his place in the line
before passing it on. Should a toss be so strong as to pass above the
player behind, so that he fails to receive the ball, the ball must be
passed back so that the missed player shall handle it.