Under the Table (indoor game)

Players: 5 or more; Leader

Materials: Large table, large wastepaper basket, cardboard box, clock or watch with a second hand, chair for each player, pencil and pad for each player, and an assortment of small, unbreakable objects the Leader chooses and hides from other players

Before starting, the Leader makes a list of all the objects she intends to pass under the table. She’ll use this list to score the players at the end of the game. Some good choices for objects are fruits, a key, a cork, a ball, a spoon—and even some odd things like a corkscrew or magnifying glass. The Leader keeps these objects hidden in a cardboard box.

Players sit at the table with their hands underneath. A big wastepaper basket sits at one end of the table. The Leader sits at the opposite end and passes the first object to the player seated next to her. This player passes the object to the next player, and so on, until the last player drops the object into the wastepaper basket.

Each player can take only an instant to feel each object because the Leader continues to pass objects rapidly and no two objects may pile up.

When the Leader passes the last object, she calls “Finish!” Players then have 30 seconds to write down all the objects they recognized. The Leader compares each player’s list with her complete list. A player gets a point for each object accurately identified. The player with the highest score wins the game.

Collected from The Little Giant Book of Kids’ Games by Glen Vecchione