The Project Gutenberg eBook, My Book of Indoor Games, by Clarence Squareman
My Book of Indoor Games
by
Clarence Squareman
(1916)
With full page
illustrations from
photographs
loaned by The
Chicago Park
Commission
The publishers gratefully acknowledge their thanks to the Chicago Park Commission for the loan of the photographs of which the half tone illustrations used in this book are copies.
INDEX OF INDOOR GAMES
Acting Proverbs [37]
Acting Rhymes [54]
Adventurers [41]
All Fours [64]
Alphabet Game [84]
Animal, Vegetable or Mineral [45]
Ants and the Grasshopper [91]
Balancing Spoon [114]
Band Box (Charade) [29]
Beggar My Neighbor [69]
Bingo [96]
Birds, Beasts and Fishes [61]
Birds Fly [100]
Blackboard Relay [102]
Blind Man's Buff [18]
Blind Man's Wand [47]
Bob Major [24]
Bridge of Knives [112]
Buff Says Buff [18]
Buzz [16]
Card Games [13]
Cat and Mouse [17]
Cat and Rat [104]
Cat's Cradle [81]
Charades [28]
Checkers [56]
Changing Seats [102]
Chinese Shadows [118]
Coach and Four [93]
Cock Fighting [83]
Consequences [43]
Circle Ball [106]
Crambo [44]
Coin Trick [115]
Cross Questions and Crooked Answers [11]
Crows' Race [104]
Cushion Dance [77]
Dancing Egg [111]
Dancing Pea [114]
Dead Ball [106]
Diamond Ring [78]
Dodge [107]
Dominoes [58]
Draw a Pail of Water [87]
Drop the Handkerchief [15]
Duck Under the Water [88]
Dumb Crambo [24]
Dwarf [21]
Earth, Air, Fire and Water [44]
Eraser Game [106]
Eraser Relay [108]
Family Coach [14]
Farmyard [77]
Feather [50]
Find an Object While Blindfolded [117]
Fives and Threes [60]
Flag Race [103]
Flowers [80]
Flying [47]
Forbidden Letter [78]
Force of a Water Drop [115]
Fox and Chickens [107]
Fox and Geese [83]
Fox Chase [103]
French Roll [27]
Frog in the Middle [100]
Gallery of Statutes [51]
Game of Cat [34]
Game of Conversation [50]
Garden Gate [27]
Giant [83]
Grand Mufti [79]
Green Gravel [59]
Hand Shadows [118]
Hands Up [48]
Hide the Thimble [103]
Honey Pots [85]
Hot Boiled Beans and Bacon [52]
How to Light a Candle Without Touching It [112]
How, When and Where [21]
Huckle, Buckle, Beanstalk [102]
Huntsman [51]
Hunt the Ring [49]
Hunt the Slipper [48]
I Apprenticed My Son [17]
I Love My Love With an A [43]
I Point [78]
I Say Stoop [100]
I Sell My Bat, I Sell My Ball [81]
I Suspect You [68]
It [53]
Jolly Miller [55]
Judge and Jury [48]
Jumping the Rope [105]
Last Man [102]
Little Lady [99]
Living Pictures [34]
Living Shadows [119]
Lodgings to Let [49]
Lost and Found [45]
Lubin Loo [97]
Magic Music [16]
Magic Thread [111]
Magic Whistle [92]
Magic Writing [79]
Malaga Raisins [93]
Man and Object [54]
Man With His Head the Wrong Way [117]
Mother, Mother, the Pot Boils Over [89]
My Master Bids You Do as I Do [52]
Mysterious Ball [117]
Noughts and Crosses [61]
Oats and Beans and Barley [95]
Obstinate Cork [112]
Old Maid [66]
Old Soldier [22]
Oranges and Lemons [12]
Our Old Grannie Doesn't Like Tea [42]
Paper and Pencil Games [61]
Personations [83]
Pigeon House Game [95]
Poison [103]
Pope Joan [67]
Postman [20]
Postman's Knock [42]
Preliminary Ball [107]
Proverbs [38]
Puss in the Corner [20]
Questions and Answers [88]
Racing and Counting Scores [101]
Red Cap and Blue Cap [53]
Revolving Pins [116]
Riddles [69]
Riding the Bicycle [104]
Rule of Contrary [26]
Running Maze [92]
Ruth and Jacob [56]
Sally Water [94]
Schoolmaster [25]
School Room Basket Ball [101]
School Room Tag [108]
Sea King [17]
Seat Tag [106]
Sentinel Drop [115]
Serpentine Maze [110]
Shadows [118]
Shouting Proverbs [38]
Simon Says [26]
Six and Five Make Nine [113]
Slap Jack [104]
Slow Poke [110]
Snap [65]
Snip, Snap, Snorum [66]
Speculation [63]
Spelling Game [86]
Stool of Repentance [49]
Squirrel and Nut [101]
Suggestive Breathing Work [103]
Swimming Needles [111]
Tag Me or Heads Up [105]
Tag the Wall Relay [110]
Teacher [105]
Teacher and Class [109]
Think of a Number [119]
Third Man [107]
Thought Reading [70]
Tit, Tat, Toe [61]
To Balance a Coffee Cup [112]
To Guess Two Ends of a Line of Dominoes [120]
To Tell the Age of Any Person [120]
Trades [61]
Travelers' Alphabet [14]
Tricks and Puzzles [110]
Twirl the Trencher [11]
Vanishing Dime [113]
What's My Thought Like? [81]
Wonderment [89]
INTRODUCTION
"Let the child imbibe in the full spirit of play. There is nothing like it to keep him on the path of health, right thinking and mind development."
That is the guiding purpose of the author. The reader will find in this book a collection of old and present day games. The student of Play has long realized that there are no new games, that all our games of today are built on the old timers.
The purpose of My Book of Indoor Games is to furnish amusement, entertainment and to be the means of sociability. So very often the question comes up—"What shall we do?" In many cases this book serves only as a reminder, the games and parlor tricks are well known but cannot be recalled at the critical moment. A combination, such as this, of the best of the old-fashioned games and a carefully compiled list of the games of today will furnish much help to the young in their search of entertainment and amusement.
But the book will be equally useful to grownups. The author has seen staid, respectable people play "Lubin Loo" with as much zest and spirit as the youngest group of children. All of us have played "Going to Jerusalem." The spirit must be there; there is nothing so contagious as the spirit of play.
INDOOR GAMES
Twirl the Trencher
This is a game which almost any number of children can play.
The players seat themselves in a circle, and each takes the name of some town, or flower, or whatever has been previously agreed upon. One of the party stands in the middle of the circle, with a small wooden trencher, or waiter, places it upon its edge, and spins it, calling out as he does so the name which one of the players has taken. The person named must jump up and seize the trencher before it ceases spinning, but if he is not very quick the trencher will fall to the ground, and he must then pay a forfeit. It is then his turn to twirl the trencher.
A very similar game to this is "My Lady's Toilet." The only difference is that each player must take the name of some article of a lady's dress, such as shawl, earring, brooch, bonnet, etc.
Cross Questions and Crooked Answers
To play this game it is best to sit in a circle, and until the end of the game no one must speak above a whisper.
The first player whispers a question to his neighbor, such as: "Do you like roses?" This question now belongs to the second player, and he must remember it.
The second player answers: "Yes, they smell so sweetly," and this answer belongs to the first player. The second player now asks his neighbor a question, taking care to remember the answer, as it will belong to him. Perhaps he has asked his neighbor, "Are you fond of potatoes?" and the answer may have been, "Yes, when they are fried!"
So that the second player has now a question and an answer belonging to him, which he must remember.
The game goes on until every one has been asked a question and given an answer, and each player must be sure and bear in mind that it is the question he is asked, and the answer his neighbor gives, which belong to him.
At the end of the game each player gives his question and answer aloud, in the following manner:
"I was asked: 'Do you like roses?' and the answer was: 'Yes, when they are fried!'" The next player says: "I was asked: 'Are you fond of potatoes?' and the answer was: 'Yes, they are very pretty, but they don't wear well.'"
Oranges and Lemons
Two of the players join hands, facing each other, having agreed privately which is to be "Oranges" and which "Lemons." The rest of the party form a long line, standing one behind the other, and holding each other's dresses or coats. The first two raise their hands so as to form an arch, and the rest run through it, singing as they run:
"Oranges and Lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's;
You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's;
When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey.
I do not know,
Says the big bell of Bow.
Here comes a chopper to light you to bed!
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head!"
At the word "head" the hand archway descends, and clasps the player passing through at that moment; he is then asked in a whisper, "Oranges or Lemons?" and if he chooses "oranges," he is told to go behind the player who has agreed to be "oranges" and clasp him round the waist.
The players must be careful to speak in a whisper, so that the others may not know what has been said.
The game then goes on again, in the same way, until all the children have been caught and have chosen which they will be, "oranges" or "lemons." When this happens, the two sides prepare for a tug-of-war. Each child clasps the one in front of him tightly and the two leaders pull with all their might, until one side has drawn the other across a line which has been drawn between them.
Musical Chairs or Going to Jerusalem
This game must be played in a room where there is a piano.
Arrange some chairs, back to back, in the center of the room, allowing one chair less than the number of players. Some one begins to play a tune, and at once the players start to walk or run round the chairs, to the sound of the music.
When the music stops, each player must try to find a seat, and as there is one chair short, some one will fail to do so, and is called "put." He must carry a chair away with him, and the game goes on again until there is only one person left in, with no chair to sit upon. This person has won the game.
The Traveler's Alphabet
The players sit in a row and the first begins by saying, "I am going on a journey to Athens," or any place beginning with A. The one sitting next asks, "What will you do there?" The verbs, adjectives, and nouns used in the reply must all begin with A; as "Amuse Ailing Authors with Anecdotes." If the player answers correctly, it is the next player's turn; he says perhaps: "I am going to Bradford." "What to do there?" "To Bring Back Bread and Butter." A third says: "I am going to Constantinople." "What to do there?" "To Carry Contented Cats." Any one who makes a mistake must pay a forfeit.
The Family Coach
This is a very good old game, and is most amusing if you can find some one who is a good story-teller.
The players sit in a circle and every one, except the story-teller, takes the name of some part of a coach or its equipments; for instance, door, step, wheels, reins, box-seat, and so on.
When all are ready, the story-teller begins a tale about an old coach and what happened to it, how it went on a journey, came to grief, was mended, and started off again. The story should be told fluently, but not too quickly. Every time any part of the coach is mentioned, the player who has taken that name must rise from his seat and then sit down again.
Whenever "the coach" is mentioned, all the players, with the exception of the story-teller, must rise. Any one who fails to keep these rules must pay a forfeit.
Drop the Handkerchief
A ring is formed by the players joining hands, whilst one child, who is to "drop the handkerchief," is left outside. He walks round the ring, touching each one with the handkerchief, saying the following words:
"I wrote a letter to my love,
But on my way, I dropped it;
A little child picked it up
And put it in his pocket.
It wasn't you, it wasn't you,
It wasn't you—but it was you."
When he says "It was you," he must drop the handkerchief behind one of the players, who picks it up and chases him round the ring, outside and under the joined hands, until he can touch him with the handkerchief. As soon as this happens, the first player joins the ring, whilst it is now the turn of the second to "drop the handkerchief."
Magic Music
One of the players is sent out of the room, and the rest then agree upon some simple task for her to perform, such as moving a chair, touching an ornament, or finding some hidden object. She is then called in and some one begins to play the piano. If the performer plays very loudly, the "seeker" knows that she is nowhere near the object she is to search for. When the music is soft, then she knows she is very near, and when the music ceases altogether, she knows that she has found the object she was intended to look for.
Buzz
This is a very old game, but is always a very great favorite. The more the players, the greater the fun. The way to play it is as follows: The players sit in a circle and begin to count in turn, but when the number 7 or any number in which the figure 7 or any multiple of 7 is reached, they say "Buzz," instead of whatever the number may be. As, for instance, supposing the players have counted up to 12, the next player will say "13," the next "Buzz" because 14 is a multiple of 7 (twice 7)—the next player would then say "15" the next "16," and the next would, of course, say "Buzz" because the figure 7 occurs in the number 17. If one of the players forgets to say "Buzz" at the proper time, he is out. The game then starts over again with the remaining players, and so it continues until there is but one person remaining. If great care is taken the numbers can be counted up to 70, which, according to the rules before mentioned, would, of course, be called Buzz. The numbers would then be carried on as Buzz 1, Buzz 2, etc., up to 79, but it is very seldom that this stage is reached.
"I Apprenticed My Son."
The best way of describing this game is to give an illustration of how it is played. The first player thinks of "Artichoke," and commences: "I apprenticed my son to a greengrocer, and the first thing he sold was an A."
Second player: "Apple?" "No."
Third player: "Almonds?" "No."
Fourth player: "Asparagus?" "No."
Fifth player: "Artichoke?" "Yes."
The last player, having guessed correctly, may now apprentice his son. No player is allowed more than one guess.
Cat and Mouse
The children sit in two rows opposite each other with a space between. One child takes the place of "cat," being blindfolded, and one takes the place of "mouse," and is also blindfolded, the cat standing at one end of the row and the mouse at the opposite end. They start in opposite directions, guiding themselves by the chairs, the cat trying to catch the mouse. When the mouse is caught it is made the cat, and one of the company takes the place of the mouse.
The Sea King
This game can be played by any number of children. They proceed by first choosing one of the party to act as the Sea King, whose duty it is to stand in the center of a ring, formed by the players seating themselves round him. The circle should be as large as possible. Each of the players having chosen the name of a fish, the King runs round the ring, calling them by the names which they have selected.
Each one, on hearing his name called, rises at once, and follows the King, who, when all his subjects have left their seats, calls out, "The sea is troubled," and seats himself suddenly. His example is immediately followed by his subjects. The one who fails to obtain a seat has then to take the place of King, and the game is continued.
Buff Says "Baff"
This is a game in which no one is allowed to smile or laugh. All the players, except one, sit in a row or half circle; one goes out of the room and returns with a stick or poker in his hand, and a very grave and solemn face. He is supposed to have just returned from a visit to Buff. The first player asks him: "Where do you come from?" "From Buff." The next asks: "Did he say anything to you?" To which the reply is:
"Buff said 'Baff,'
And gave me this staff,
Telling me neither to smile nor to laugh.
Buff says 'Baff,' to all his men,
And I say 'Baff' to you again.
And he neither laughs nor smiles,
In spite of all your cunning wiles,
But carries his face with a very good grace,