Hobbies And Interests
Playing Telephone, a Cooperative Game for Kids
Telephone is a popular game that kids have played for many generations. A group of children can play this game while standing in line waiting for something or sitting in a circle. One child begins by whispering something into the ear of the child adjacent to him. Presumably, the same sentence is passed from child to child, and because of accidental misunderstandings or creative misinterpretations, it becomes something entirely different by the time it's passed through all of the children. Teachers often use this game to illustrate how rumors spread. Children, however, enjoy the game because it's fun to twist words around. The only rule is that the "secret" is only given to you once.
Don't Wake the Dragon
The premise is that every child in the room is a villager who is being tormented by a fire-breathing dragon. To save the village, they must line up from shortest to tallest in complete silence. Once everyone is in line, they all shout "boo" at the same time to frighten the dragon away. The cooperation comes from determining, without a sound, who should be in line where. Some kids will naturally decide to direct others and some kids will naturally stand still, waiting for direction. When each child feels that the line is perfect, they manage to shout "boo" in unison, thereby all "winning" the game.
Ha - A Contagious Cooperative Laughing Game
Ha seems like a strange name for a game, but that's part of the point. Teens enjoy this game just as much as younger kids. It's great to play with families, too. In a circle, one person starts the game by saying "ha" and the next person says "ha ha" the third person says "ha ha ha" and the play proceeds with each subsequent player adding an additional "ha" until everyone collapses in riotous laughter.