Archives by: Stacy Taylor


This game really gets the kids involved and they love it when they finally figure out the secret.

All you need are 2 pencils. Make sure a few of the kids are in on the secret in the beginning to make the game run smoother (you can tell the rest of the kids that these players know how the game works, so they can look to them for help).

Have everyone sit in a circle on the floor. Explain that you are going to pass the pencils around the circle and as each person gets them, they have to say “Crossed” or “Uncrossed” and you will tell them if they are right or not.

**What they won’t know is that “Crossed” and “Uncrossed” doesn’t refer to having the pencils crossed or not, but to whether or not they have their legs crossed!**

Begin by demonstrating what you would like them to do. Cross the pencils in front of you like an X and say “Crossed.” (Do the opposite if your legs aren’t crossed) You then pass them to the next person (who is in on the secret) and they hold the pencils next to each other, but not crossing, and say “Crossed” again. You should say that they are right even though it would appear that they aren’t. Use different positions whenever you get the pencils (T,L,X or arms straight out like a traffic controller…)

As the pencils continue around the circle some kids will start to figure it out and encourage the others. Keep going as long as you like.

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