The Game of—Who Is It?
Blindfold two or three children. Silently select one of the others to be identified by the blindfolded children by means of touch. Let the blindfolded ones feel of the child—his hair, face, clothes and shoes. In this way see which one will first be able to name him. To win this game depends a great deal on the child's observation of what the other children are wearing. The game of Blind Man's Buff is similar and good, but usually has a good deal of sound to assist the one guessing.
The Game of—Weighing
Get a pair of scales and let the child weigh anything he wishes. Let him learn to accurately judge a pound, then to estimate the weight of an article before placing it upon the scales. Teach the child comparative weights by lifting articles and determining which is the heavier. Encourage him to make a pair of balances with which he can balance one object against the other after he has compared them by holding one in each hand. Many variations can be easily made of these ideas, to help the child to become accurate in estimating weights. All practice will be more interesting if there is a record made, and the spirit of competition is introduced.
Measuring
Give the child a measure—quart or pint—and let him learn to estimate the capacity of the different utensils of the kitchen. He should in this manner become able to judge accurately the contents of different containers. The child should learn to estimate in pecks, bushels, etc. This is good exercise and a valuable ability for later life.
Let the games given here suggest new ones to be used; any factor which will vary or add to the game is valuable. Keep always in mind the fact that the highest usefulness of the games is training the senses to be more accurate.