Family Home Evening Game: Animal

A really fun game to play for Family Home Evening or at Church Activities.

Object of the Game: To get to position "one" and keep it.

Items Needed: None

Preparation: Have everyone sit in a circle facing inward.

Directions: There is an order in the seating, one spot is chosen as the highest-ranking spot, and each successive spot goes down in rank to the lowest. Each spot is assigned an animal, such as a mosquito or an elephant or a moose. Each animal is given a hand sign, such as open hands with thumbs placed against the head for the moose. To play, the person in the highest position signs their sign, then someone else's sign. The person who is sitting in the position for that animal then signs their own sign, then someone else's sign. If someone takes too long to sign or if someone forgets to sign their sign first, that person moves to the lowest-ranking spot, and all the people "below" him shift up one position. (Remember, the positions are the ones assigned the animals, not the people, so all those who shift now have to remember a new animal sign.) Just play until people are tired of it or for a set time. People should be quiet during play. (Although occasional giggling is allowed...)

Example: Eight people are playing, siting in a circle. Player one chooses a moose sign, player two a horse, player three a cat, player four a dog, player five an elephant, player six a monkey, player seven a mouse, player eight an alligator. The signs chosen for each animal are as follows: Moose = open hands with thumbs placed against side of head; Horse = very wide smile (lips closed) to show "horse" teeth; Cat = hands at sides of nose, pulled outward in imitation of "Cat" whiskers; Dog = open palmed hands against side of head, fingers come down like the flap of a dog's ear; etc. Player one starts by making spot one's sign of the moose, then signs the cat sign. The person sitting in the cat spot then signs the cat sign and then the horse sign. The horse spot signs the horse sign then the moose sign. The moose signs the dog sign but forgot to sign the moose sign first and must go to the end, spot eight. All players move up a spot, now the previous horse signer must be the moose sign, the cat person now is the horse person, etc.

Note: There are several variations to this game. You can play it using numbers, names of prophets, and say the numbers/names out loud instead of using signs.

Submitted by: Anachan with additions by Rachel Woods