Hobbies And Interests
Name Game
An activity requiring heightened concentration, with built-in memorization techniques, this game is also useful on the first day of a gathering to help everyone learn names.
The players stand in a circle and one player begins by saying, "My name is (blank) and I am a (blank)," where the first blank is filled in with the child's name and the second is filled in with an occupation that begins with the same first letter as the child's name. For instance, "My name is David and I am a dentist." The next child in the circle begins with her own name (for example, "My name is Gail and I'm a gardener."), then continues by reciting the name and occupation of the person before her. The third child must name himself and his own occupation, in addition to naming the children before him, as well as their occupations. Each successive turn is harder with a growing list of names and occupations to memorize. A particular movement or gesture should be paired with each occupation; this will increase the group's ability to recall them. The processes of tying a gesture, visually, to an occupation, and an occupation, through same-letter pairing, to a name, comprise mnemonic devices useful for memorization in any number of settings.
Big Bubble
Train your child's listening and concentration skills with this game. In Big Bubble,
players must remain alert and ready, listening carefully for their names or numbers to be called. They must also be prepared to make a correct response fast.
Players stand in a circle. One player is named "Big Bubble." The child to Big Bubble's right is named "Number One," the next child is "Number Two," and so forth. The game begins with a chant. On a four-count beat, the group chants, "Bi-ig Bubble / Big Bubble, oh yeah / Big Bubble, Big Bubble, Big Bubble." Then Big Bubble chants her own name plus another player's name, for example, "Big Bubble, Number Four." The player whose name was called, likewise chants his own name plus another player's, e.g. "Number Four, Number One," or, "Number Four, Big Bubble." A four-beat measure is the time it takes for two turns. If a player speaks incorrectly or out of turn, or hesitates too long, the group chants the opening lines again and that player moves to the last position, causing name changes within the circle.
Bippety Bippety Bop
This game compels players to make fast decisions and to concentrate on multiple events simultaneously. Players form a circle with one player standing in the middle. The one in the middle is "It," and must try to trade places with a player in the circle. "It" can make direct eye contact with a player in the circle and say, "Bippety bippety bop." The player in the circle must say "Bop," before It does or the two will have to trade places. If, however, It says only, "Bop!" then the other player must stay silent or wind up trading places.
The player in the middle can also give other instructions to any player in the circle such as "Dinosaur baseball," at which point the player spoken to, as well as the player to his left and right must act out the given instructions. Failure to do so immediately, or doing so when not called upon to, means trading places with It. Meanwhile, any two players in the circle can, at any time, without any overt communication, exchange places. The player in the center must try to sense when this is happening, so that he can jump into a vacant spot before it is filled.