compiled by Erik Malmsten

Playing can bring out joy and, by being in the moment, is a cousin of meditating. However, I’m spending too much time on the computer playing Wordstalk (like Boggle) and card games. One of my favourite TV Shows is The Amazing Race.

Chess was a big part of my life. I’ve enjoyed playing coed volleyball, softball, bowling, and dancing. I also enjoy playing with children. Sometimes I find it hard to be relaxed with adults. For example, I'll rarely make funny faces at an unknown adult on the bus, but will for an infant. I don’t like nasty, power-over-another playing such as tickling people past when they’ve said “no”, or the point is making the other person look stupider than you are. Besides movies, here are some of the ways I enjoy playing with others.

Group Games	Playing Links	My Favourite Songs of the ’90s	What I Read

Group Games

Pass the Rhythm

Once Upon a Time (or One Word at a Time)

Other Circle Games

Pass the Cartoon Strip

Belly Laugh

Clue Hunt

Pass the Rhythm

1. The first person starts a simple rhythmic pattern with their hands: clap-clap-clap-clap etc., all spaced evenly, without any emphasis. The person to their left, the second person, claps along with the first, clapping the exact same rhythmic pattern. Then the third, fourth and so on around the circle until everybody is clapping the same rhythm.
2. The second person starts a new rhythm pattern, for example, clap de clap-clap. The third person changes their clapping to copy the second person, and the new rhythm spreads clockwise until everybody is doing the same rhythm that the second person introduced. Interestingly, at some point half the people will be doing the old rhythm and half the new.
3. The third person creates a new rhythmic pattern, for example, cl-cl-cl-clap-clap, and the fourth person switches to that pattern, and the new rhythm spreads around clockwise.
4. The fourth person introduces a new rhythm, then the fifth and so on until everybody has had a chance to introduce a new rhythm.

Once Upon a Time (or One Word at a Time)

Someone usually volunteers a topic before beginning, but it’s not necessary.

1. The first person says “once,”
2. The person to their left says “upon,”
3. The next person to the left says “a,”
4. The next person “time,”
5. The next person says a word that they think makes sense and so on around the circle. Continue until there’s a suitable ending, or the story falls apart, or people are speechless or getting weary.

A word of advice: if a person gets stuck, often small words such as “a” or “and” can save them. This can also be played with each person saying two or three words.

Other Circle Games

• Pass the object, where the first person mimes an object, passes it the second person who reshapes it into a different object, and so. It takes awhile to get around the circle.
• Pass the face. Make a funny face, body position, to the person to the left. They, facing you, have to copy it, then turn around, make a new face and pass it to the person to their left.
• Think of words, or objects, or places, or lifeforms, or food, that start with the letter “A” and continue around the circle until somebody is stuck, than have that person think of something in the same category that starts with “B” and soon through the alphabet, or just for three or four major letters. It can get tedious if goes on for too long. A shorter version is having the second person say a word in the category that starts with “B,” the third person “C” and so on.
• Tougher is a memory game. The first person says a simple word out loud. A word that can be visualized is often easier to memorize. The person to the left repeats the first person’s word and says one of their own. The third person repeats the first person’s and the second person’s words and adds one of their own. And so on around the circle until the first person who has to say everybody’s word. People should say their word clearly as you don’t want to screw up the next person, but want the word list to grow long. This can also be done as an introduction game, people saying their name.
• Pass the massage. People massage the shoulder of the person to their right, then switch direction, and massage the person to the left. I find this more effective if it’s every second person so that the person receiving a massage isn’t distracted by also giving one at the same time.
• A simple way to feel energized is to have everyone standing, yelling “yes” over and over again, increasing their emotion each time. Perhaps ask people to pretend that they have just won the lottery or some other joyous event.

Pass the Cartoon Strip

1. Fold a sheet of blank 8-1/2 by 11 paper long-way in half, than fold twice to divide the length into thirds. Unfold and draw lines where the creases are. The paper will now have six squares or frames. Do the same with two other sheets of paper.
2. Give a pen/pencil and one sheet of the paper to each of the three players.
3. Each person draws a cartoon in the top left frame; Any character(s), any sort of dialogue, situation or idea is valid. Make it simple, artistic skill is not required. Do not show the drawing to anyone else or talk about it.
4. After everyone has finished their first frame, they pass their paper to the person on their left. Each person draws in the second frame in the top row, using the characters or scene presented by the other person in the first frame. People can go along with the scene or dialogue, or twist it in a different direction, for example, “Look out for that car!” Or “I never showed you . . . .”
5. After everyone has finished the second frame, they pass their paper to the person on their left. Each person draws in the third frame in the top row, the top right.
6. After everyone has finished the third frame, they pass their paper to the person on their left. Each person draws in the first frame of the bottom row, the far left, below the first frame. And so on for the last two frames.
7. The cartoon’s finished when all six frames are drawn, everyone having contributed two frames to each of the three cartoons.

For four players use 8-1/2 by 14 paper and fold to make eight frames.

A similar game is drawing silly people. Any number can play. Pass out pen/pencils and a sheet of paper to the players. Draw a silly head and top of the neck, fold the paper over it so that other people can only see the lines of the neck, and pass it to the person on your left. The next person draws the neck, shoulders and upper body, folds it, and passes it. The next person draws the stomach, hips and arms (and sometimes dinosaur tail), the next person the legs, and the last person the feet or shoes. Unfold the drawings to see funny looking creatures.

Belly Laugh

1. Have people lie down, spread around the room in a circle then position themselves so that everybody’s head is on another person’s stomach.
2. The first person says “HA.”
3. The person whose head is on the first person’s stomach says “HA HA.”
4. The next person, perhaps feeling the stomach moving, says “HA HA HA.”
5. Continue until everybody breaks out laughing.

Clue Hunt

1. Visit the site of the gathering a few weeks in advance and walking in a circular route note down details of what you see, for example, objects in a painting or the title of the painting. Note things that are different, like an apple tree among maples or the numbers on a telephone pole.
2. Type up a list of the most interesting details in order of the circular route and also any general facts that many of those gathered would know. Keep the list to 30 items, number them 1 up to 30.
3. Write out questions in which the listed items are the answers. Make up probable, and occasionally funny, answers and arrange as a multiple choice questionnaire.
4. Write up a Clue Sentence which reveals where the treasure is, for example, look behind the couch. This example has 18 letters so there will be 18 clue questions. Choose the best 18 questions from your list of 30.
5. Instead of assigning a, b, c, d, e to the multiple choice answers use different letters. The letters for the correct answers will be part of the Clue Sentence.
6. On the sheets handed out to the players above the questions leave a blank line with the question numbers underneath for the players to write their answers on. This line is titled “Clue Sentence”.
7. Print up enough copies for the number of people expected. Have pencils available and tell people that they don't have to answer all the questions to solve the Clue Sentence.
8. Provide enough treasure of candy coins and jewelry from a dollar store for everyone.

Sample of one I did for a family gathering on Centre Island, starting at the tree planted in memory of my mother on Lakeshore, east of Manitou. The 33 questions I used have been reduced to 21, removing the family history and tougher ones.

Grandma's Island Treasure Hunt

Once Upon a Time (or One Word at a Time)

Other Circle Games

Pass the Cartoon Strip

Belly Laugh

Clue Hunt