But now, you'll have a list of 31 unique games that even a 3-year-old can join in with. A few of these ideas will be best for the preschool set, but most will work for a wide range of ages!
Click on over here to see the full list, but read on for this great game idea!
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Okay, first off, I completely know that this photo is Tower Bridge and not London Bridge, but let's face it, Tower Bridge is so much cooler (and still located in London, unlike London Bridge...)
I knew of only a basic version of this game, but I've since discovered a way to make it more complex:
London Bridge
Players: 3 +
Ages: 3 +
Place: a space large enough for the players to circle around under the tower
Equipment: none
How to play: Two players face each other and join hands in an arch above their heads.
The remaining players line up on one side of the bridge, then circle around under the arch while singing:
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.
At that last line, the "towers" drop their arms to take the player under the bridge prisoner. They (gently) jostle the prisoner back and forth while singing:
Take the key and lock her (him) up,
Lock her up, lock her up.
Take the key and lock her up,
My fair lady.
At this point, the prisoner is released and the game continues. The towers can remain the same, or the former prisoner can take the place of one of the towers before starting the song up again.
Now read about this variation I discovered - it's quite interesting:
The two tower players secretly decide which one will be the "gold" tower and which will be the "silver." When the prisoner is captured, (s)he whispers either "gold" or "silver" to one of the tower players. This player sends the prisoner to line up behind the appropriate tower player and the song continues, but with a different verse:
Build it up with iron bars,
Iron bars, iron bars.
Build it up with iron bars,
My fair lady.
As each player is captured (after the last line of each verse), the lines behind the towers fill up - with still no one knowing which side is "gold" and which is "silver."
The words of the song change with each round, until only one player is left (No matter how many players there are to get through, make sure to sing the final one when the last player is still passing under the bridge. If you need more verses, make them up or repeat a few.):
Build it up with steel and stone...
Steel and stone will bend and break...
Build it up with silver and gold...
Gold and silver, I have none...
Get a man to watch all night...
Suppose the man should fall asleep...
Get a dog to bark at night...
Suppose the dog should find a bone...
Final verse:
Off to prison (s)he must go,
(S)he must go, (s)he must go.
Off to prison (s)he must go,
My fair lady.
Now that all the players are lined up behind one tower or the other, the towers lower their joined hands and the other players place their hands on the waist in front of them.
The two teams then tug and pull until one team falls down.
The team left standing is the winner.
I'm sure you've played this classic game with your children before, but have you ever heard of this variation? I'd love to hear! Either leave a comment below or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.
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Looking for other fun ideas of things to do with your little one? Check out my Latticed Learning page here!
This post is part of the write31days challenge!