PLAYS AND GAMES
In playing games children learn lessons of fair play, of mutual
forbearance and patience, and of letting a playfellow "have a chance,"
which they learn in no other way. Apart from the important bodily
exercise and development gained in the active physical games, the demand
upon mental and moral qualities is of immeasurable value.
A child should never be permitted to cheat at a game, even "in fun." A
game loses significance as a game when one person does not "play fair."
The child to whom even the thought of so doing is impossible begins the
race of life with an immense advantage, for we believe that the
foundation for all real life is _character_.
We give a few games which have been tried with success either in the
home, the kindergarten, or the playground. Some of these plays require
materials; others do not. In some cases instructions are given for
making the required materials.
TAG GAMES
=Circle Tag=
One person stands in the center of a ring of children and each one in
the ring holds out his right hand. The one in the middle tags one of the
hands and the owner immediately gives chase till he catches the
pursued.
Vary by having both tagged and tagger skip, hop, etc., instead of run.
=Racing Tag=
Players form circle. One goes outside the ring and runs or walks around,
suddenly quietly touching another player, who immediately races with
him, going around the ring in opposite direction.
Vary by having contestants bow three times as they pass each other.
=Wood, Iron or Paper Tag=
One child chases another who touches for goal anything made of wood, or
iron, or paper, etc., as has been decided upon beforehand. If the
pursued is caught before he succeeds in touching such object, he becomes
"it." The goal may be a wooden stick or tree, or an iron rake, or a
paper book, etc.
=Japanese Tag=
Form a long line of children, one following closely behind another in a
march or run. One child outside the line is "it." He tries to tag some
one in the line. The leader endeavors to prevent this by twisting his
file rapidly in and out in a curving line, and, by so throwing out his
arms, as to protect the threatened one, as the line twists and turns
with him. If one is tagged, the leader becomes "it." The leader and his
train of children must of course be alert in mind and active in body.
=Cross-Tag=
Of a group of children the one who is "it" chases any one he chooses to
begin with, but if another child runs in between the chased and the
chaser, the chaser must follow the one who has thus run in between. If
he shows signs of fatigue a third child may run across between the two,
etc., he then being chased until the tagger succeeds in catching some
one, who in turn becomes "it."
RACES
Allied to the tag games are the racing games, of which we give only two.
=Potato Race= (_Twelve potatoes_, _two tablespoons_)
Place six potatoes in a row about three feet apart. Place six others in
a parallel row some distance away. Give two players each a spoon, and at
a signal they start to race. Each player runs up his row, picking up the
potatoes, one by one, carrying each in turn to a given point, then
coming back for another potato, till all are thus carried. The left hand
must not assist. The one who first gets his potatoes safely to the spot
decided upon wins.
=Clothespin Race= (_Handful of clothespins_)
Arrange the children in two rows, equal in number. Give the first child
a handful of clothespins, laid straight. At a signal he passes them down
the line. If one is dropped it must be picked up by the one dropping it
and put as before with the others and then passed on. Reaching the end
of the line, they are at once passed back again to the starting point.
The side wins which first get back all the pins.
AIMING GAMES WITH BEAN-BAGS
=Kinds of Bags= (1. _Ticking or strong calico_, _strong thread_,
_needle_, _baking-beans_. 2. _Felt_, _sewing silk_)
1. Make a strong bag of bright colored material, 6 x 8 inches in size.
Fill with the ordinary baking-beans and overhand the top.
2. Take a piece of felt or any pretty strong material which will bear
the wear and tear of the game. Cut into two circles 5 or 6 inches in
diameter. Sew together on the wrong side, with a seam of one fourth
inch. Then cut in the center a small circle half an inch in diameter.
Turn the odd-shaped bag inside out, fill with beans and overhand the
small circular opening with close stitches of silk. These bags can be
more easily caught than balls by little hands.
=Kinds of Games=
Children usually hand down familiar games from one generation to
another. Here are a few:
1. Children stand in a circle with one in the center who throws the bag
to each in turn all around the ring, or else tries to catch some one
napping by throwing it unexpectedly.
2. Vary by having children stand in a row and the leader throws to each
in turn. Or children stand in opposite rows and every one in one line
has a bag which all throw in unison to the child opposite. These in turn
throw back in perfect rythm.
3. Vary again by tossing into the air in unison. The accompaniment of
music is always a thing to be desired in such rythmic games.
4. One child stands in center of ring and tries to catch the bag as it
is tossed across to some one on the other side of the ring.
AIMING GAMES WITH BALLS
The games just described may be played with balls as well as with
bean-bags, and thus require more co-ordination on the part of the
child's muscles. We give a few other games in addition.
=Counting-Ball=
Let one child bounce the ball, striking it from above with the palm of
his hand and counting one, two, etc., until he fails to hit it, when
another child takes a turn.
=Guess-Ball=
A row of players number off from one end 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. The last
number steps in front of the row a distance such as may be needed to
secure certainty of aim and touch on the part of those who throw the
ball. The player in front stands with his back to the others. Those in
the row now begin to pass the ball sideways from one to the other. The
player in front having counted a given number, the one who happens to
hold the ball at the time must at once throw it at the player in front.
If struck, the latter turns quickly and tries to judge from the
attitudes of the various players which one threw the ball. If he is
right, places are exchanged. If he guesses wrong, the game continues as
before.
=Cup and Ball= (_Cardboard_, _worsted_, _funnel_)
Make the ball by cutting from cardboard two circles about two inches in
diameter. Inside the large circles draw smaller ones about one-half inch
in diameter. Cut the smaller circles entirely out, thus leaving a hole
in the middle of each large circle. Keep these two large circles
together. Now, with a needle, wind worsted round and round through the
opening in the two circles until it is completely filled, so that the
needle cannot be pushed through. Hold in the left hand, and with sharp
pointed scissors cut the worsted at the edge of the circles, spread the
circles a little apart, and tie a strong thread firmly around the
worsted between the two cardboard circles. Then tear the cardboard
circles away and a pretty ball remains. Tie this ball, with a string
twelve inches long, to a kitchen funnel, and let the child try to catch
the ball in the funnel.
AIMING GAMES--MISCELLANEOUS
=Ring-Toss= (_Small wooden box_, _broom-handle or dowel_, _nail or
glue_, _embroidery rings or hoops of small keg_)
Saw a foot from a broom-handle or dowel (a child's broom will best serve
the purpose). Glue or nail this to a box. Let the child practice tossing
over this post rings taken from a small keg; or embroidery rings may be
used. These may be wound around with bright colored strips of lining or
with ribbon. The rings should be graduated in size.
=Grace-Hoops= (_Basket reeds_, _raffia_)
Make a wand of three or four basket reeds cut into two foot lengths.
Wind these more or less loosely with string, just so as to hold them
together. Then wind around and around closely and smoothly with a strand
of raffia so as to bind firmly together. If held smoothly, several
strands of raffia may be used at one time. If reeds are not to be had
lilac branches may be used instead. The result should be a wand firm and
stiff.
Make the hoops by soaking the reeds first in water for an hour to make
flexible. They should be cut into lengths of about 2-1/2 feet. Curve
several into a hoop and tie. Then wind smoothly and firmly with the
raffia. The ends of the latter may be disposed of by threading upon a
large needle and running it a short distance in and out of the part
already wound.
Two wands and one hoop are required for each player. One tosses a ring
from her two wands to her opponent, who must catch it upon her own
wands.
This once popular game cultivates both alertness and grace.
In the kindergarten the children use wand and ring in playing "knights."
One child holds the ring while the little knight gallops around the
circle on an imaginary steed and tries to capture the ring on his lance
(wand), as at an old-time tournament.
=Croquet with Peas= (_Peas_, _hairpins or double-headed tacks_, _nail or
match_, _toothpick_, _cork_, _cover of starch-box_)
Bend hairpins into shape or use double-headed tacks as wickets. Insert
into the cover of a wooden starch-box for ground. For a stake use a nail
or a painted match-stick. Sharpen this to a point and insert it in a
hole previously made by hammering in a nail. Make mallets by inserting
matches or toothpicks into heads made of small pieces of cork. Use peas
for balls.
Put the whole outfit in a box and give to little sister for her doll's
birthday.
=Egg-Shell Game= (_Egg-shell_, _long table_, _four tumblers_)
Blow an egg-shell and paint with some college colors as a foot-ball.
Take four tumblers and place two at one end of a long table for goals
and two at the opposite end for goals, the two which make a pair being
four inches apart. Divide the party into two competing groups. Those on
one side must try to blow the shell between the tumblers of their
opponents. These must try to defend their end of the table and at the
same time try to blow the shell between the tumblers of their opponents.
This makes a merry game for young people.
=Cherry-Stone Game= (_Save and dry a dozen or more cherry-stones_)
Scatter the stones lightly on the table. They will fall so that some lie
closely together, others far apart. The first player selects any two
stones and draws his finger between them so that he touches neither. If
he succeeds thus far he must then try to snap one (with thumb and middle
finger) so that it strikes the other. If this succeeds also the two
stones belong to him and he has another turn, continuing until he either
touches a stone in trying to draw a finger between two or fails to make
one of the two hit the other. The second player will not fare so well,
because the remaining pairs will lie closer together than those first
chosen, so that great care will be needed in drawing the finger between
two. Sometimes it is necessary to use the little finger. At the end the
player having most stones wins the game. The stones may be dyed or
painted if desired. The game suggests tiddledy-winks and crokinole.
=Donkey Game= (_Picture of a donkey, minus a tail, and one dozen
separate tails. These may be bought in large sheets for ten cents,
but may be cut out of paper if drawn first by skilful hands_)
Pin the picture to the wall in some spot where it will not deface it.
Give each player a tail with a pin sticking through it. Blindfold him.
Turn him around three times and send him in the direction of the picture
to pin the tail on the donkey. The one who succeeds in fastening a tail
nearest to the proper place wins the game.
=Blowing Out the Candle= (_Candle in candlestick_)
Place a candle on the table. Blindfold a player, turn him around three
times about six feet from the candle. Then let him try to find his way
towards it and blow it out. He may have three trials.
MISCELLANEOUS PLAYS
=The Countess of the Huggermuggers= (_Two candles in candlesticks_)
Give two players each a candle. They take places about eight feet apart.
Then each takes a step forward at the same time and makes a solemn bow
without smiling; then another step and bow; and then a third. Then one
says solemnly, "The Countess of the Huggermuggers is dead." The other
one rejoins, "I am very sorry to hear it." The first one replies, "So am
I." Then each takes three steps backward, with a bow each time, and all
without a smile. Whoever smiles must give up his place to another
player.
=Rope and Sandbag= (_Rope ten feet long, with handle at one end which
may be made by knotting the rope, and a sandbag or other weight at
the other. Sandbag may be made of strong goods sewed into a bag and
filled with sand. In a kindergarten a weight has been improvised out
of a child's rubber shoe_)
Some one stands in the center of a circle of children and swings the
rope so that the weight just grazes the ground. The children must be
sufficiently attentive and agile to evade the rope by jumping over it as
it passes them. Do not begin until the rope has acquired momentum enough
to move with a degree of regularity.
=Omnibus Swing= (_Strong rope or chain_, _staples_, _soapbox_, _wooden
plank_, _nails_)
If fortunate enough to have a barn or summer-house, or a playroom with a
strong beam in the roof or ceiling, place a pair of strong staples in
the beam (hammock hooks would serve the same purpose) a few inches
apart. Six feet from these place _another pair_ of staples in the beam.
From each pair of staples or hooks suspend a loop of rope so that it
comes about one foot from the floor.
[Illustration: Omnibus Swing.]
Take a plank about eight feet long and one foot wide and cut four
notches in it, two on each side, about six inches from the ends. Place
the plank so that it hangs held by the two ropes, which slip into the
notches in the plank, the notches keeping the ropes in place. Upon this
several children can swing back and forth lengthwise, and so play at
rowing, riding, trolleying, etc., as imagination dictates. If a soapbox
be nailed at one end the baby may be put into this for a safe ride.
=Anagrams= (_Tinted Bristol board_, _black ink or paint_, _heavy pen or
brush_)
Cut the Bristol board into 1-inch squares and let the child paint or
draw upon these squares the letters of the alphabet, one letter to each
square. There should be at least a dozen of each letter and many more
A's, E's and S's, as these letters occur frequently in English words.
Two games may be played with these letters as follows:
1. Give the child the four or five letters that compose a word and let
him try to put them together in the right way as: _H-s-e-r-o_ (_Horse_).
2. Several players are needed for this game. The cards must be placed
upside down in a box so that the letters are not seen. Each player takes
a letter in turn, the first time round, and places it in the centre of
the table. At the second time round, each, as he takes a square from the
box, tries to form a word with it, either by using a letter from the
central pool or by taking away an opponent's word. If he takes from an
opponent he must take an entire word. As he forms a word he places it
before himself, the aim being to get five or ten words before any
opponent does. If he can form no word he puts his letter in the pool.
The number of words making the game must be agreed upon beforehand. For
example: In the pool are placed in turn the letters _g, b, f, t_. Player
I, continuing, draws from the box the letter _a_ and with the letters in
the pool can form _bat_, which he places in front of him, leaving _g_
and _f_ in the pool. Player II draws an _l_, and as he can form no word,
he puts it in the pool. Player III draws an _e_ and takes away the _bat_
of No. I, turning it into _beat_. Player II draws an _o_, which with the
_g_ from the pool, he turns into _go_. Player I then draws again, and so
the game continues until one player has, we will say, five words, the
number agreed upon, and so wins.
=Weighing Honey=
One child crouches, clasping his hands beneath his knees tightly. Two
older persons then take the handles of the honey-jar (the child's arms)
and swing him back and forth, counting one, two, three, etc., with each
swing until the hands give way. The number of counts tells the number of
pounds in the jar.
SUGGESTIONS FOR CHILDREN'S PARTIES
=Peanut Party= (_Several quarts of peanuts, and a pretty little bag
measuring 6 x 8 inches for each guest_)
Before the little guests arrive, hide the peanuts in corners, under
cushions, and in all possible hiding-places, singly, or two or three
together. At a signal all of the children begin to search for the
peanuts. The one finding the most wins. Give a reward of a peanut doll.
(See page 80.)
* * * * *
In no such games of competition is it a good plan to have expensive
prizes. That plan ministers to a weakness inherent perhaps in human
nature, but one to be discouraged--the desire to win, not for the sake
of success, but for the sake of the prize. The giving of a valuable
prize engenders feelings of envy and caters too much to the gambling
instinct. It tends to destroy the spirit of fun and play which is the
real object of a social gathering.
A part of such an entertainment would appropriately be the making of
peanut taffy or of peanut animals. (See page 23.)
=Spider-Web Party= (_Balls of pretty twine, one color for each guest_)
Take a ball of twine and to the end attach a card bearing the name of
one guest. Then unwind it, twisting it around different articles of
furniture, chairs, table-legs, door-knob, chandelier, etc., till the
thread is judged to be long enough. Then cut, and to this end tie some
trifling gift. Arrange in this way one ball and gift for each child
expected. When the time for playing the game arrives, give to each child
the card bearing his name, to which twine is attached. At the signal for
beginning, each one follows up his line, unwinding and disentangling it
as he goes along, till the end of the cord bearing the gift is reached.
As each little visitor receives something, there is no unwholesome
spirit of rivalry.
=Thimble-Biscuit Party= (_Dough_, _silver thimbles_)
While making biscuits for supper give the little child a silver thimble
to use as a biscuit cutter, first rolling the dough to a thickness
one-third the height of the thimble. When he has made a good array put
them into the oven. They will bake quickly and to the child will seem to
surpass the best cake made.
Invite a group of little children to a thimble-biscuit party. A dough of
flour, water or milk, a little salt and baking powder will be sufficient
and the little workers will be very happy making the wee biscuits. Only
silver thimbles should be used.
While the biscuits are baking a few games, notably "Hide the Thimble,"
will pass the time. Served with a little jam or milk they will make a
delicious repast, with dolls and Teddy Bears for company.
=Butterfly Party= (_White paper_, _oil paints, in tubes_)
Uncovering the tube, make a dab of paint with it near middle of a sheet
of paper. Immediately beneath make a _long stroke_ of another color. Now
fold over lengthwise along the middle of the long line of paint. While
folded press and smooth with finger over the first spot. This when
opened will be the head of the butterfly. Keep paper still folded,
however, and press along the line of paint to make body and then make a
side pressure to make the wings. Open out, and there is the general
suggestion of a beautiful butterfly, which, held up so that the light
shines through, may be really very pretty. A little experiment will show
how improvements can be made. Any color may be used. Invite your friends
to an evening butterfly party and give a prize for the best one made;
the prize may very suitably be something in butterfly form; a penwiper,
or lamp-shade, or something similar.
=Autograph Picture= (_Ink_, _paper_, _coarse pen_)
At the butterfly party, autograph portraits also may be made. With a
coarse pen, filled with ink, each person writes his own name in turn.
Take the flowing autograph, fold it lengthwise through the middle and
crease, making special pressure at the top and drawing out slightly at
the side. Open up and the result is a queer portrait of the owner of the
autograph with suggestion of head and arms.
Enclose autograph on two sides by straight lines; when folded and then
opened, the portrait will be framed.