A three foot circle is made with a piece of chalk in the front of the room.  Each pupil in the room is given a different number.  The teacher selects one to be “It,” who must stand at least ten feet from the circle and be touching a side wall.  “It” calls a number.  The pupil whose number is called tries to run through the circle in the front of the room and get back to his seat without being tagged by “It”.  The one who is “It” must run through the circle before he can tag the one whose number he called.  If the pupil is tagged he becomes “It”.

Directions

An attention game.  Taking for granted that the pupils have a general knowledge of the directions of various towns or cities in their state or the surrounding states, the following game can be played.

All are requested to stand in the aisle beside their seats.  The teacher then proceeds to make statements or tell some story, mentioning the names of various cities and towns.  At the mention of these the pupils face in the direction in which said cities or towns are located.  Failing to turn correctly when a city is mentioned the pupil is required to take his seat.

CHAPTER IV

SCHOOLYARD GAMES

For Primary Pupils

Chase the Rabbit

The group kneels in a circle with their hands on each other’s shoulders.  The one selected to be rabbit runs around the circle and tags some individual.  Thereupon that individual must get upon his feet and run to the left around the circle.  The rabbit runs to the right around the circle.  The rabbit must tag the one who is running around in the opposite direction, and then both endeavor to get back to the hole left in the circle.  The one failing to do this becomes the rabbit for the next play.

Steps

One of the group is selected to be “It”.  He stands with his back to the group and counts five, at the end of which he turns rapidly around.  If he sees any of the group moving, that one seen must go back to the starting line.  While the one “It” is counting, it is the object of the group to progress toward him as rapidly as possible.

Statues

This game is similar to the game “Steps,” above described, excepting that the players standing behind “It” assume the poses of statues.  “It” upon turning around endeavors to detect some movement on the part of the statues, in which case that player takes the place of “It”.

Progression

The players stand behind a line.  Each in turn must cover the space between said line and another line twenty yards distant by a manner of progress different from that used by any of the previous players.  For example, the first one called upon to cover the intervening space between the lines walks, the second one runs, the third hops, the fourth crawls, the fifth walks backward, etc., and so on until all of the players have reached the far line.  This game taxes the ingenuity of the last players to be called upon, as they have to initiate new methods of progress.