their original opposites. The sixteen children then form a circle, skip eight steps to the right, eight steps to the left, four steps to the center, four steps back twice, four steps to center, bow to all and return to the outside circle. Numbers chalked on the floor to indicate the position of the players will be necessary at first. After playing for a time the children will be able to go through the dance without chalk marks. (b) DANCING SKIP. The group listens to the music, one child taps his feet, another claps his hands, and as the teacher sees variations in the activity going on she uses them, the group doing each one in concert. One child skips on place, every one in the group imitating. The teacher suggests that a child skip across and stand facing a partner, skipping in place. The partner imitates the movement. At a signal the first child turns and comes across the circle, facing some other child, and the first partner follows. The third child imitates the movement. At a signal they turn and go single file across to another child. The second child now leads and faces a new child, still skipping. At a signal they turn and cross again and the third child chosen is now taken as leader. Back again at the signal with the fourth child leading. At a signal all five children make a circle, skip to the right eight steps and then to the left eight steps, into the middle four steps, out again, bow and the dance ends. After the children have learned the form of the dance, two leaders may start two lines, then three, and so on. It is well not to have more than five in the original line, for the exercise is so active that some children might be over-stimulated. (c) POP GOES THE WEASEL. One child is chosen as a weasel. He skips about until the phrase "Pop Goes the Weasel" is given, when every one claps and he chooses a partner. These two skip about together, and at the same phrase all clap and the last child chosen chooses a third, and the three form a little circle and skip about. At the same phrase the two first children make an arch of their clasped hands and the third child goes under the arch and the game ends. This last child is the new weasel and the game goes on as before. When the children are familiar with the form, they may choose two weasels to start the game and later on three may be chosen, and so on, offering opportunity for more children to play at once and also causing a greater alertness in choosing partners on the part of those playing. 36. Simple Games. These games may be played in the room or on the playground. (a) STOOPING TAG. The players walk and stoop at a signal, or run and stoop. The last child down pays a penalty by leaving the group and standing by the teacher. Care should be taken to make the intervals short so that the children will not be over-tired. Several children may be called out at once, thereby shortening the game. A variation of this game is to have the leader call out, "I stoop." Every one stoops as he says the words, and players failing to stoop are asked to return to the leader and watch the others play. One (b) COME ALONG. The players are in a circle. child skips around and, touching another child, says, "Come along." The child chosen skips along behind the leader, touching a child in turn and saying, "Come along." The game grows until all are skipping. Care must be taken that the children do not slap the child chosen, and that they are not unfair by choosing only favorite children or their best friends. (c) CHEESE IT. This game is sometimes called Red, White and Blue. The children start at a signal to walk or run, then stop at a signal, those failing to stop being required to return to goal and begin again. Others keep on until the signal is given. The first one touching base at the opposite end of the room is winner of the game. Care should be taken that the intervals between signals are short, so that the players are surprised and continue walking or running instead of stopping. (d) Two DEEP. The children stand in a circle. One child skips about and steps behind another child, who, in turn, skips about and steps behind someone else, and so on, until each child has skipped. This is a good game for alertness. A variation in the game may consist in choosing a number of children to skip. (e) BEAN BAG RACE. Two children are chosen to play this game. On two sides of the room opposite each other are two chairs, side by side. Four bean bags are placed on each chair at one side of the room and the two children sit on two chairs on the opposite side. To add interest to the game the old rhyme, One for the money, is repeated, and at the word go each of the two children starts to pick up one bean bag from the chair on the opposite side of the room, puts it down on the chair he has come from, then goes back and gets another, and so on until the four bags have changed places. The child who gets back to the opposite empty chair first, wins the game. Care must be taken in this game to match the children well, good players against good players, little children with little children, so that a fair game will be played. (f) BALL GAMES. The ball is a toy common to all children and affords a good opportunity for physical development. The earliest, simplest games in the kindergarten consist in the simple rolling of a ball across the floor, around which the players are seated in a circle. A ball is rolled across from one child to another; later two balls may be introduced and still later, when the children have gained control, they may keep six balls rolling. The next step is to ask a child to sit in the center of the circle and roll the ball to each child in turn about the circle, the ball being rolled back to the leader each time. This game is apt to become monotonous unless the player in the center is changed from time to time. A 6-inch rubber ball is the best one to use. Price 60 cents. (1) Knocking Down the Tower. A game that is a step in advance of these simple ball games is that of building a tower of blocks in the middle of the circle and asking the children to roll the ball so accurately that the tower is knocked over. A ten pin standing in the center of the circle will do as well as the tower of blocks. Several towers built up or several ten pins standing in the middle of the circle will add interest to the game later. (2) Rolling Between Two Towers. In this game the children sit in a circle. Two towers are built some distance apart. The players sit at a given distance from the towers, and are required to roll the ball between them. This is a good game for alertness and accuracy. Later, the towers may be moved nearer and nearer to each other, so that the hazard of the game is made greater. Ten pins may be substituted for blocks in this game, also. (3) Bouncing Ball Games. The simplest form of this game is to have one ball. The teacher standing in the middle bounces the ball to each child in turn. A variation of this game is to have each child, as his turn comes, bounce the ball once to himself before returning it to the teacher. A second variation is that the teacher bounces the ball to the child, A, A bounces it to his neighbor on the right, B, B bounces the ball to the teacher. The teacher bounces next to C at B's right, C bounces to D and D bounces to the teacher, and so on about the circle. (4) Toss Ball. This game is played in circle form. The teacher is in the center. She tosses the ball high in the air, calling out a child's name, "Mary," whereupon Mary runs in and catches the ball. If she is successful, the other children clap for her. After the children are familiar with the game they may easily catch the ball on the first bounce, and that rule should then be made, otherwise the children will put forth no effort to catch the ball and the game loses in interest. (5) Pass Ball. Two lines are chosen facing each other. The leader of each side has a large 6-inch rubber ball. At a signal the ball is passed from hand to hand, and when the last player in line receives the ball he runs to the head of his line, and the passing of the ball is repeated until the original leader of one of the lines is again the leader. This side is then declared the winner. (g) SINGING GAMES. (1) As I was Walking Down the Street. Music, Rig a Jig, Jig. As I was walking down the street, Heigho, heigho, heigho, heigho, Heigho, heigho, heigho, heigho. The children stand in a circle. One child starts to walk around the circle, the rest singing. At the third line a partner is chosen and these two players skip around together. The music is repeated as the two skip around. These two then walk around while the rest sing, each one chooses a partner and the four skip around together. The four players then walk about awhile, the verse is sung, and, choosing partners, they skip together, and so on, until all are playing. (2) Oh, Mary Choose a Friend. Music, The Farmer in the Dell. Oh, Mary choose a friend, One child is chosen as the leader. She walks about and chooses her friend, the friend walks behind Mary. At the second singing of these verses, Dorothy chooses a friend, who walks behind her, and so on until there are five in the row. When five are walking, the group sings: They all run after Mary, |