School, Church, and Home Games

by George Orrin Draper

This game stimulates quick thinking. Some one is selected by the teacher to start the game, and thereupon gives some word to which the first pupil in the aisle must give a rhyming word before the former can count ten. Failing to do this, the leader continues and gives a word to the second one in the aisle. The rhyming words are to be given before the leader has completed his count of ten. Then the one succeeding in giving the word replaces the leader.

Clapping Song

A pupil is selected by the teacher to clap the rhythm of some familiar air. The rest of the children in the room endeavor to guess the song clapped. The pupil succeeding in doing this is given an opportunity to clap another song.

Indian Trail

A pupil is blindfolded and placed in the front of the room. Other pupils, one or two at a time, are given the opportunity to stealthily approach the one blindfolded, in an endeavor to take some object, from before his feet, such as a flower pot and saucer, or a tin can with a loose pebble in it, without being detected by the one blindfolded. If a pupil succeeds in taking back the object to his seat without having been heard, he wins a point for his aisle. Where two pupils are sent forward at the same time, two similar objects must be placed at the foot of the one blindfolded. The aisle scoring the largest number of points in this way wins the game.

Number Relay

The pupils of each aisle constitute a team. They are numbered, beginning with the one in the first seat. The teacher describes some mathematical problem she desires done and calls certain numbers. All the pupils having those numbers rush to the board and compute the problem. The first back to his seat wins a point for his team, the aisle gaining the largest number of points wins the game.

Multiplication Race

The pupils of each aisle constitute a team. The teacher decides on a multiplication table which is to be placed upon the board. A piece of chalk is handed to the first pupil in each aisle. At the signal to go Number 1 goes to the board and writes the first example in the multiplication table thereupon. Returning to his seat, he hands the chalk to the one next behind him, who puts the next step in the multiplication table on the board, and so the race continues until the one in the last seat has returned to his seat, after adding his part to the table. The one first back to his seat wins for his aisle.

History Race