Hobbies And Interests
Hide and Go Seek
Hide and Go Seek is a game of tag with elements of stealth and tracking. Before starting, players agree on a base. This base can be anything from a tree stump to a piece of furniture. The players then decide who will be "it," and this player then goes to the base, closes his eyes and begins to count aloud. The other players take this opportunity to scatter throughout the yard, home or playground and hide. When the player who is "it" is done counting, he opens his eyes and seeks out the others, who are free to run toward the base whenever they please. If they touch it, then they're immune to tags for the rest of the round. However, if the "it" player tags a player first, then that new player becomes "it" and a new round starts. Hide and Go Seek will give children a good cardiovascular workout, and while they're hiding, they get a chance to catch their breath.
Follow the Leader
Follow the Leader is a free-form game that's as fun as the players are imaginative. The children line up in a row, and the one at the front is the leader. Those behind the leader must imitate his movements. If he salutes, then they must salute. If he yells "purple monkey!" then they must also yell it. His goal is to take his followers along a circuit, such as around the perimeter of the house. Once he's completed the circuit, he moves to the back of the line and the next player becomes the leader. Follow the Leader teaches children to share responsibility and challenges them to come up with creative ways to keep the other children entertained.
Tic-Tac-Toe
Even before they learn to read and write, children can get familiar with a paper and pencil by playing Tic-Tac-Toe. Players draw a hash-mark on the paper and flip a coin to decide who will play the "X"s and who will play the "O"s. "X"s go first by drawing an "X" in one of the hash-mark's squares. The players then go back and forth until somebody connects three of their symbols horizontally, vertically or diagonally. If the hash-mark fills up without anybody connecting three, then the game is declared a "tie" and neither player wins.
Telephone
Telephone requires at least four players, though the more players there are, the more enjoyable it becomes. One player starts the game by whispering a phrase to the child to his right, who then whispers the message to the next child, who whispers it to the next and so on until it reaches the end of the line, or the child to the first player's left, if the players are sitting in a circle. That child then announces the message to everyone and the first player repeats the original. Over the course of many retellings, the message typically changes in bizarre and humorous ways. Telephone is a good game to get children laughing.