How to Play Pass the Hat

How to Play Pass the Hat

• 1

  Have at least six payers, with five of them standing in a circle, a little less than an arm's length apart. They should all be wearing hats, and the sillier the hats are, the better! The sixth person will stand in the middle of the circle. She is the leader. You are now in starting positions.

• 2

  The leader calls out, "Left," then begins counting, "One, two, three." The players are required to use their left hands to remove the hat of the person on their right and place it on their own heads before the count of three. If a player doesn't have a hat on her head by the three-count, that player is out of the game.

• 3

  The leader calls out, "Right," then begins counting, "One, two, three!" The players are required to use their right hands to remove the hat of the person on their left and place it on their own heads before the count of three. If a player doesn't have a hat on his or her head by the three-count, that player is out of the game.

• 4

  If the leader wants to keep the hats moving left, he or she need not shout "Left" each time, but only once, then simply begin a count ("One, two, three!") each time afterwards. Until the leader calls out a direction, the hats should be passed in the direction of the previous call.

• 5

  The leader begins the counting slowly. As the game progresses, the counting becomes faster and faster, just to make things more exciting. As people fall out of the game, the circle tightens, until there are only two people facing each other. These are the winners!