How to Play the Cat's Cradle String Game

Put your hands inside of the string and separate them until the string is taught, keep your thumbs out of the string. A cat's cradle string is a circle.

Loop the string around each hand, keeping thumbs out. There will be a horizontal line of string across each palm that is a loop. Put your middle finger inside the loop of the opposite hand and pull. Repeat with the other finger and hand. There will be two "x" shapes between your hands that are made by the string. This is the cradle.

Second player: Use your thumb and forefinger to pinch one of the "x"s. Use thumb and forefinger of the other hand to pinch the other "x". Pull the "x"s away from each other, over the string beneath them, and up through the center of the cradle.

Stretch out your hands. Player one lets go of the string so it is on the second player's hands. Now it's player one's turn to get the cradle back.

Player one: Pinch the "x"s, pull them apart, over the strings on the side, and up through the middle of the cradle. This is similar to what player two did in Step 3. Holding onto the string, pull your hands apart. Player two lets go.

Player two: Hook your left pinkie finger underneath the middle string, on the right side. Hook your right pinkie finger underneath the middle string, on the left side.
Pull your hands wide apart.

Use your thumb and forefinger of each hand, spread apart, to reach underneath the strings on the right and left (keep the other strings hooked on your pinkie while you do this). Push your hands up through the middle of the cradle. Player one should let go at this point. Spread your hands.

Player one: Pinch the "x"s at the bottom of the cradle, pull them up and over the sides, so your fingers are facing downward. Player two lets go. Spread your fingers apart.

Repeat steps 1 to 9 to continue playing the game.