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Week 1🟪 🟪 🟪 Hopscotch 🟪 🟪 🟪
🏛️ The History of Hopscotch
Believe it or not, hopscotch wasn't always a playground game! Its origins date back to the **Roman Empire**.
* **Ancient Training:** Original hopscotch courts were over 100 feet long. Roman soldiers ran them in full armor to improve their footwork and endurance. 👟
* **The Name:** The "hop" is the jump, and "scotch" comes from an old English word meaning a "scratched line" or "cut." 📏
* **Global Spread:** Roman children began imitating the soldiers on a smaller scale, and the game eventually spread across Europe and the world. 🌍
---
### 🎨 The Court Layout
A standard court is drawn with chalk and usually consists of a series of numbered squares (typically 1 through 10). 🖍️
1. **Single Squares:** Squares 1, 2, and 3 are usually in a straight vertical line. 🟦
2. **Pairs:** Squares 4 and 5 are side-by-side. 🟦🟦
3. **The Pattern Continues:** Square 6 is a single, then 7 and 8 are a pair, followed by 9 and finally 10 (the "Home" or "Safe" zone). 🔟
---
### 🕹️ How to Play
To play, you need a **marker** (like a flat stone, a beanbag, or a coin). 🪙
* **The Toss:** Throw your marker into Square 1. It must land inside the lines without touching them. 🎯
* **The Hop:** Hop through the court, skipping the square that has your marker in it. 🦩
* On **single squares**, use one foot. 🦶
* On **pairs**, land with both feet at the same time (one foot in each square). 👣
* **The Turnaround:** When you reach the end (Square 10), hop around and head back. 🔄
* **The Retrieval:** On your way back, stop at the square *before* your marker. Balance on one leg, pick up the marker, and hop to the finish. 🤲
* **Leveling Up:** If you complete the turn successfully, throw your marker into Square 2 on your next turn. The first person to complete the court for every number wins! 🏆
---
### ⚠️ Important Rules
* **Balance is Key:** If you step on a line, hop into the wrong square, or lose your balance and touch the ground with a second hand or foot, your turn ends. ⚖️
* **Marker Accuracy:** If your marker toss misses the target square or lands on a line, you lose your turn. ❌
Tasks
🟨 Read a book with all the letters in *HOP* in the title.
The Old Curiosity Shop
🟨 Read a book with a MPG of historical fiction.
The Old Curiosity Shop
🟨 Read a book with something that *YOU* would consider to be square.
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Week 2: KICKBALL 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴Overview
Kickball (also known as soccer baseball in most of Canada and football rounders in the United Kingdom) is a team sport and league game, similar to baseball. Like baseball, it is a safe haven game in which one team tries to score by having its players return a ball from home base to the field and then circle the bases. Meanwhile, the other team tries to stop them by tagging them "out" with the ball before they can return to home base. However, instead of hitting a small, hard ball with a bat, players kick an inflated rubber ball; this makes it more accessible to young children. As in baseball, teams alternate half-innings. The team with the most runs after a predefined number of innings wins.
Game Play
Kickball is typically played on a softball diamond with an 8.5 inch to 16 inch diameter inflated rubber ball, such as a utility ball. As in baseball/softball, the game uses three bases, a pitcher's mound, and a home plate. Sometimes in less formal games, the field is not bounded by a fence (which traditionally surrounds a softball or baseball diamond), but is instead open. This may result in informal rule changes to accommodate the field, such as home runs being counted by number of bounces instead of by distance. Kickball can also be played on a rectangular blacktop area with chalk or paint outlines, such as an open outdoor basketball court.
Play begins with the pitcher rolling the ball smoothly to home plate.
🔴The kicker must kick from behind home.
🔴 If the ball is kicked and rolls out of bounds before going past first or third base, it is called a foul and the kicker must try again.
🔴 Kickers must run the bases in order and may stop at any base and wait to run again at the next kick. There, however, must be only one runner on a base and they must remain in order. No runner can pass the person in front of them.
🔴 A run is scored for the kicking team when a base-runner touches all 4 bases, in order, without being called out at any time.
🔴 A runner advances one base on an overthrow to the base player.
🔴 Teams switch sides after three outs or nine runs are scored.
🔴Outs are granted when:
--- The pitcher controls the play of the game. Play begins with the pitcher rolling the ball to the person up to bat, the kicker. Play stops when the ball is thrown to the pitcher.
--- The kicker kicks a fly ball and it is caught before it touches the ground. Note: When a fly ball is in the air, the base runners must remain on base until after the ball is caught (called tag-up) before they can advance to the next base.
--- The base player has control over the ball and a foot on the base before the base-runner reaches the base.
--- The base-runner is tagged on his/her body by a fielder with the ball before s/he arrives at the base. Note: If the base-runner must advance because of another runner or kicker behind, it is called a force-out and the fielding team only has to tag the base to call an out. If there is no runner or kicker behind, it is not a force-out and the fielder with the ball must tag the base-runner.
--- One base-runner passes another.
--- A base-runner intentionally interferes with a fielder who is trying to recover the ball.
--- Three fouls by an individual kicker equal an out.
🔴 If a ball is touched by a member of the fielding team before it bounces, it is a fair ball.
🔴 For safety, there is no sliding or throwing of the ball at a player.
Tasks
🔴 Read a book that has published under different titles
🔴 Read a book with the author initials in KICKBALL
Foundation's Edge
🔴 Read a book where a character makes it home safely - your interpretation but they should have been in some sort of peril (driving in a storm, being chased by someone,
Week 3 - TetherballTetherball is a popular playground game where two players hit a ball, attached to a pole by a rope, in opposite directions, aiming to wrap the rope completely around the pole in their direction to win the game. Invented in the 1800s, tetherball rose to popularity in early 20th-century American schoolyards. The game’s appeal lies in its simplicity and intensity: two players, one pole, and a fast-moving ball. Though often dismissed as a children’s pastime, tetherball can be highly fun and competitive for adults, too. It can get so intense that some schools restricted tetherball due to overly competitive play and injuries.
On a personal note - I have always loved Tetherball. We played it non-stop on the playground in grade school! So much fun, fierce competition.
To wrap it up and win it all, complete one of the following tasks:
1. Read a book that is #2 in a series.
Doctor Who: The Ruby's Curse
2. Read a book centered on rivalry—personal, professional, political, or romantic (your interpretation).
3. Read a book that has a ball on the cover.
🤾🏽♂️ 🛝 ⛹🏼♀️ Week 4: January 26, 2026 - Red Rover ⛹🏼♀️ 🛝 🤾🏽♂️I know you remember this one: Red Rover, Red Rover, send Johnny right over!
Red Rover (also known as The King's Run and Forcing the City Gates) is a team game played primarily by children on playgrounds, requiring 10 or more players. The game has changed over several decades, evolving from a regular "running across" game, with one single catcher in the center of the playground, to a "combat" game with two opposing teams. It was first recorded in New York in 1891 in Stewart Culin's publication Street Games of Boys in Brooklyn, N. Y.
The game is played between two lines of players (usually called the "North" and "South" teams, although this does not relate to the actual relative locations of the teams), positioned approximately thirty feet apart with hands or arms linked together. The game starts when the first team—in this example, the North team—calls a player out, by saying that well-known sing-song phrase.
The immediate goal for the chosen one is to run to the North team's line and break the chain (formed by the players' hands). If the chosen one successfully breaks the chain, they may select either of the two "links" broken by the successful run, and take the link to join the South team. If the selected person fails, they join the North team. The South team then calls out for a person on the North team, and the play continues.
When only one player is left on a team, they must try to break through a link. If the player does not succeed, then the opposing team wins; otherwise, the player gets a player back for their team.
Red Rover has been banned by many schools because of the risk of potential physical harm.
To play this game, complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book with an alliterative title.
2. Read a book where a character runs.
Doctor Who: The Forgotten Army
3. Read a book that has been banned at some point in time.
🔘🔘 Miss Mary Mack 🔘🔘🔘"Miss Mary Mack" is a clapping game is well known in various parts of the United States, Australia, Canada, and in New Zealand. It has been called "the most common hand-clapping game in the English-speaking world."
In this game, two children stand or sit opposite each other, reciting the rhyme while clapping hands in time with the song. The song, in its most common three-verse version, describes Miss Mary Mack, a girl dressed in a black dress with silver buttons, going to see elephants jump a fence.
The origins of the rhyme are obscure. An early version of a verse of "Mary Mack" collected in West Chester, Pennsylvania appears in the book The Counting Out Rhymes of Children by Henry Carrington Bolton in 1888. One theory of its origin is that Miss Mary Mack was a performer in Ephraim Williams’s circus in the 1880s; the song may be reference to her and the elephants in the show. According to another theory, Mary Mack originally referred to the USS Merrimack, an American warship of the mid-1800s named after the Merrimack River, that would have been black, with silvery rivets.
Tasks:
- Read a book written or set in the 1800s.
- Read a book with alliteration in the title.
- Read a book with a ship on the cover.
- Read a book written by an author with M as their first or last initial
Nightcrawling
Week 6🏃🏻♀️ 🏃🏿 🏃🏻♀️ TAG 🏃🏿 🏃🏻♀️ 🏃🏿
Imagine a game that requires zero equipment, infinite energy, and the occasional high-pitched squeal. That is **Tag**! It’s essentially a high-stakes simulation of a predator-prey relationship, but with more giggling and fewer consequences. 🏃♂️💨
Here is how the chaos unfolds:
### 1. The Chosen One 👑
The game begins by selecting one person to be **"It."** This person is the hunter, the seeker, and the one everyone else is currently terrified of.
### 2. The Great Escape 👟
Once "It" counts to ten (or just yells "Go!"), everyone else scatters like pigeons in a park. Your only mission? **Do not get touched.** Use every zigzag, fake-out, and burst of speed in your arsenal.
### 3. The "Tag" Moment 🎯
The person who is "It" chases the others. To win a round, "It" must physically touch another player—usually on the arm or back—and announce the life-changing words: **"Tag! You're it!"** 🖐️
### 4. The Tables Turn 🔄
The moment you are tagged, the "cooties" (metaphorically speaking) are transferred to you. You are now the new "It," and the person who tagged you usually sprints away immediately to avoid a "tag-back."
---
### Why It’s Great
* **No Limits:** You can play in a backyard, a park, or a (very forgiving) living room. 🌳
* **Infinite Variations:** There’s **Freeze Tag** (where you turn into a statue when caught), **Flashlight Tag** (Tag in the dark!), and even **Infection** (where the "It" team grows until everyone is caught). 🧊🔦
* **Pure Cardio:** It’s the only workout that feels like a spy movie. 🕵️♀️
> **Pro Tip:** If you're about to be caught, find a "Base" (like a specific tree or a porch step). If you're touching the base, you're invincible! 🏠🛡️
Tasks
🏃🏽♀️➡️ Read a book with all of the letters in *TAG* Anywhere in the title.
13 Steps to Bloody Good Wealth
🏃🏽♀️➡️ Read a book with at least three people on the cover.
🏃🏽♀️➡️ Read a book set in a school.
🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟 Week 7: FOUR SQUARE 🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟Overview & History🪟
Four square is a popular game at elementary schools with little required equipment, almost no setup, and short rounds of play that can be ended at any time. The game also has a large following for adults in many communities. Also called Four Squares or box ball, it is a global sport played on a square court divided by two perpendicular lines into four identical boxes creating four squares labelled 1–4 or A–D.
Four square dates to at least the 1950s. A game called four square is mentioned in newspapers in the northeastern United States at least as far back as the 1950s, but the rules are not explained. A 1953 teacher's manual describes four square with the same rules used today. However, it is possible this game could have evolved from "Jeu de paume", a game popular in France as early as the twelfth century.
🪟Rules🪟
One player occupies each of the 4 squares at a time; the other players wait in line. The player in square 4 serves the ball into another square of their choice. Once the ball bounces into a square, the player who occupies that square must hit the ball into another square with their hands, and so on, until someone gets out. Each time a player gets out, that player leaves the court and enters the back of the line and all remaining players on the court advance to the next higher numbered square. Square 1 is then filled with a new player from the line of awaiting players. The object of the game is to be the last player remaining in the highest numbered square.
A player may get out as follows:
🪟Failing to hit the ball into another square
🪟Allowing the ball to bounce more than once in their own square
🪟Hitting the ball out of the squares or hitting a line
🪟Hitting the ball incorrectly such as by holding, catching, or carrying
🪟Hitting the ball out of turn or committing interference
🪟Hitting the ball one handed (in some versions of gameplay)
🪟Variations🪟
Four square has inspired other similar games. One example is nine square, which uses a 3-by-3 grid instead of a 2-by-2 grid. The 9 square is the middle and the ball is served from this position. Another version is played similar to the original in that four players occupy their respective spots, but they must keep the ball off the ground like in volleyball.
🪟World Championships🪟
Since 2005, Bridgton Recreation has sponsored the annual Four Square World Championship in central Maine, bringing together participants from across the United States and internationally in a structured competition. The event includes multiple divisions, such as children’s, adult, and senior categories, and awards the World Champions to winners in each division. Independent news sources note that the championships regularly attract many competitors and spectators, with participation and visibility growing over time. Local and regional media have described the event as one of the more prominent organized four square competitions in the world.
Tasks
🪟Read a book that is #4 in a series
🪟Read a book with a Q in the title
🪟Read a book with the word CHAMPION in the text (location & short phrase, please
Single On Purpose: Redefine Everything. Find Yourself First.
Act 1 - Running to Stand Still Chapter page 5
"When it comes to the people I love in my life—my friends, family, and partner—I treat them with respect. I try to provide a safe space for them to be heard. I champion their story."
Week 8 - Capture the FlagCapture the Flag is a classic outdoor team game where two sides try to capture the other's flag and bring it back to their own territory without getting tagged, fostering teamwork and strategy with rules for tagging, jail, and jailbreaks. You need a large area, two flags (or similar items), and markers for zones and jails, with players defending their flag while invading enemy territory to seize the opponent's. Key elements include dividing the field, hiding flags, tagging players in enemy territory, sending them to jail, and rescuing them.
To capture the opposing team's flag and win, complete one of the following tasks:
1) Read a thriller, spy novel, or political drama involving secrecy or covert action.
2) Read a book that starts with a letter in FLAG
Free Fall
3) Read a book with a military character (can be former military)
🤾🏽♂️ 🛝 ⛹🏼♀️ Week 9: Marbles ⛹🏼♀️ 🛝 🤾🏽♂️description
In the early twentieth century, small balls of stone from about 2500 BCE, identified by archaeologists as marbles, were found by excavation near Mohenjo-daro. It is unknown where modern marbles were first manufactured. Currently, the world's largest manufacturer of playing marbles is Vacor de Mexico. Founded in 1934, the company now makes 90 percent of the world's marbles. Over 12 million are produced daily.
Various games can be played with marbles. One game popular in the United Kingdom and United States is ring taw (or "ringer"), where a ring is drawn on the ground and a number of small marbles placed within it. Players take turns to flick a larger "taw" marble at these marbles, attempting to knock them out of the ring.
In kanche (from South Asia), players prepare for the game by standing behind a line and trying to flick their marble towards a designated hole, with the player who manages to flick their marble closest to the hole getting the chance to go first in the game. The marbles are all then placed in the center of a circle, with each player getting one striking marble and the chance to flick their marble in an attempt to strike the circle-marbles out of the circle. Each marble thus displaced is acquired by the striker, and once all the marbles have been struck out of the circle, the player with the most marbles wins the game.
Similarly, in pili goli (South Asia), the goal of the game is to flick a striking marble in order to knock other marbles laid around the field into holes that have been dug into the ground.
In the 2021 dystopian Netflix series Squid Game, Marbles was the fourth game of the competition. The deadly game involved players choosing one partner with whom they would play a marble game of their choice, with the losers killed, and winners progressing to the next game.
To read for this game, complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book with a round object on the cover.
5x5 To Thrive: Get More Money + Joy In Changing Times
2. Read a book with all the letters of MARBLES found in the title.
3. Read a book that was published in 2021.
🗣️🗣️🗣️ Simon Says 🗣️🗣️🗣️Simon Says is a classic children’s elimination game where players follow commands given by a leader ("Simon") only when prefaced with the phrase "Simon says". Players are eliminated from the game by either following instructions that are not immediately preceded by the phrase, or by failing to follow an instruction which does include the phrase "Simon says". The game is thought to have originated in the mid-19th-century, with the earliest known reference appearing in the Boston Morning Post on April 25, 1842.
The object for the player acting as Simon is to get all the other players out as quickly as possible; the winner of the game is usually the last player who has successfully followed all of the given commands. Occasionally, however, two or more of the last players may all be eliminated at the same time, thus resulting in Simon winning the game. In Ireland, and some parts of the United Kingdom, the game is also known as "O'Grady says".
Tasks:
- Read a book with all the letters of Simon in the title.
- Read a book in which a character fails to follow instructions.
Inn Too Deep
- Read a book which was published in April.
- Read a book set in Ireland.
Mod🐖 🐖 Steal the Bacon 🐖 🐖
Imagine two teams lined up like eager sprinters, facing each other across a wide grassy field. Each player is assigned a secret number, and in the very center of the "no-man's land" sits the prize: the Bacon 🥓 (usually a beanbag, a ball, or even an old sneaker). The atmosphere is thick with anticipation until the caller shouts a number, say, "Three!" Suddenly, the two "Threes" from opposite sides dash toward the center, circling the bacon like hungry hawks 🦅. The goal is simple but nerve-wracking: grab the bacon and race back to your finish line before your opponent can tag you!
It’s a hilarious game of cat and mouse where patience is just as important as speed 🏃♂️. You might feint a grab to make your opponent flinch, or wait for them to commit before making a lightning-fast getaway. If you make it back safe, your team cheers like you’ve won a gold medal 🥇; but if you’re tagged, the point goes to the other side. It’s all about quick reflexes, silly footwork, and the high-stakes drama of whether or not you can "bring home the bacon" for your squad! 🐷✨
Tasks
🐖 read a book with a farm animal on the cover.
🐖 read a book with all the letters in the word *PIG* in the title.
🐖 read a book with a cardinal number in the title.
5 Secret Strategies of Kindle Publishing: Earn Passive Income with Non-fiction Books
🔴🚦🟢🚦🔴🚦🟢🚦 Week 12: RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT 🚦🟢🚦🔴🚦🟢🚦🔴🔴How To Play🟢
Red Light, Green Light is a fun kid's game that adults can join in as well! It is a lot of fun to play in school, daycare, or summer camp.
To play, you will choose a traffic cop and have the rest of the kids go to the starting line. When the cop yells, “Green light,” the kids will run (or walk) forward. But when the cop yells, “Red light,” the kids must immediately freeze. Anyone caught moving on “red light” will be sent back to the starting line. This will continue until the first kid reaches the traffic cop. This player wins!
🟢Variations🔴
Introduce new colored lights, giving variations on how to move towards the finish line, such as run on green, walk heal to toe for yellow light, hopping for purple light, skipping, galloping, tip toeing, etc.
The leader can designate his/herself as the finish line. This enables the game to move around so that when players get close to the finish line (the cop/leader), the finish lines moves farther away.
For the hearing impaired, you can turn your back towards the group for red light and turn around (face your group) for green light.
🔴Tasks🟢
🚥Read a book with a 'cop' (any law enforcement officer) character
The Hostage
🚥Read a book by an author that makes you 'stop' everything and read their latest book
🚥Read a book that has both read and green on the cover
Week 13 - Double DutchDouble Dutch is a jump rope game played with at least three people: two "turners" who swing two long ropes in opposite directions in an eggbeater motion, and one or more jumpers who leap between them. Double Dutch originated in the Netherlands and remains a popular street activity, a competitive sport, and a recognized element of fitness and hip-hop culture. Double Dutch is recognized internationally as both athletic and artistic expression.
To jump into the fun, complete one of the following tasks:
1) Read a book that is #2 in series
Gwendy's Magic Feather
2) Read a book featuring twins
3) Read a book where the title begins with a letter in DUTCH
4) Read a book with a double letter word in the title (middle, across, llama, jelly)
🤾🏽♂️ 🛝 ⛹🏼♀️ Week 14: Musical Chairs ⛹🏼♀️ 🛝 🤾🏽♂️description
Musical chairs is a game of elimination involving players, chairs, and music. It is a staple of many playgrounds and parties worldwide.
A set of chairs is arranged in a circle with one fewer chair than the number of players (i.e. nine players would use eight chairs). While music plays, the contestants walk around the set of chairs. When the music stops abruptly, all players must find their own individual chair to sit on. The player who fails to sit on a chair is eliminated. One chair is then removed for the next round, and the process repeats until only one player remains and is declared the winner.
To join this circle of fun, choose ONE of the following:
1. RAB with the word CHAIR found in the text (include pg/loc and snippet).
2. RAB where a character listens to or plays music.
The Tale of the Body Thief
3. RAB where two of the numbers in the page count or original pub date or year are descending i.e. 376, 521 pgs OR July 21 OR 1998. Note number should not skip another number to count.
🦆🦆🪿 Duck Duck Goose 🦆🦆🪿Duck, Duck, Goose is a classic children’s elimination-free chasing game where players sit in a circle. One player ("it") walks around tapping heads, calling everyone a "duck" until designating one person as the "goose," who must chase "it" around the circle. The goal is for the goose to tag "it" before "it" sits in the empty spot. If the goose fails, they will become the new "it".
There are many variations of Duck, Duck, Goose, some historical and some which are played today. These include 'Duck, Duck, Grey Duck' which is played mostly in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and 'Drip, Drip, Drop' which is played mostly in warmer climates. A historical variation called 'Kiss in the Ring', described by British folklorist Alice Gomme in 1894, hints to the origins of the game as a playful activity associated with courting.
Tasks:
- Read a book with MPG Romance.
The Everlasting
- Read a book with a bird on the cover.
- Read a book with all the letters of DDG in the title.
🤚🏻 🤚🏻 🤚🏻 Handball 🤚🏻 🤚🏻 🤚🏻American handball is a high-energy game played by hitting a small rubber ball against a wall (or walls) using only your hands. The goal is simple: serve the ball so it hits the wall and bounces back into the court, forcing your opponent to return it before it bounces twice on the ground. It’s a game of incredible reflexes and strategy, as players try to "kill" the ball by hitting it so low against the wall that it’s impossible to return 💨🙌. Whether you’re playing on a single wall at school or a three-wall court at a park, it’s all about speed and precision.
One of the best things about playground handball is its "house rules" and the tight-knit community it creates. Kids often play variations like **"Ace-King-Queen"** or **"Suicide,"** and there’s always a specific etiquette for calling "outs" or "re-dos" 🗣️🚫. It’s a sport that requires zero fancy equipment—just a bouncy ball and a flat surface—making it one of the most accessible ways to get a workout and burn off some energy. Even as an adult, there’s something nostalgic and satisfying about that rhythmic *thwack* of the ball hitting the concrete 🧱🔥.
🟣 Read a book with a wall on the cover.
🟣 Read a book that takes place at a school. (Elementary, middle school, high school, college, etc.)
🟣 Read a book with a compound word in the title.
Bloodlust
👩👦👩👦💜💜💜👩👦👩👦👩👦💜💜💜 Week 17: MOTHER MAY I? 💜💜💜👩👦👩👦👩👦💜💜💜👩👦👩👦Mother may I? is a children's game, also known as "captain may I?" and "father may I?"
Objective, rules, and general gameplay
One player plays the "mother". The other players are the "children". To begin the game, Mother stands at one end of the room and turns around facing away, while the children line up at the other end. The children take turns asking, "Mother , may I ____?" and makes a movement suggestion. For example, one might ask, "Mother, may I take five steps forward?" Mother either replies "Yes, you may" or "No, you may not do that, but you may _____ instead" and inserts their own suggestion. The players usually move closer to Mother, but are sometimes led astray. Even if Mother makes an unfavorable suggestion, the child must still perform it. The first of the children to reach the location of Mother wins the game. That child becomes the mother, and the original mother becomes a child. A new round will then commence.
Some suggestions that fill in the "Mother , may I ____?" blank include:
Take (#) steps forward
Take (#) giant steps forward (usually a small number, due to large step size)
Take (#) baby steps forward (usually a large number, due to tiny step size)
Take (#) umbrella steps[definition needed] forward
Hop forward like a frog, (#) times
Run forward for (#) seconds
Crabwalk forward for (#) seconds
Take (#) Cinderella steps - twirl forward with index finger touching the top of the head
Open-and-shut the book (#) times - jump forwards with feet apart then again bringing the feet together
Lamppost - lie face down and stretch arms forwards, bring your feet to the point reached by the fingertips
If the children are reaching Mother too quickly, Mother may reject the child's suggestion by replacing it with suggestions that reduce the original request (for example, reducing five giant steps to three giant steps), or make a different suggestion, such as:
Take (#) steps backward
Run backward for (#) seconds
Walk backward until I (mother/father) say "stop"
Return to the starting line (in rare cases)
A common alternative gameplay is for Mother (who can be facing the children) to begin each child's turn by issuing the instruction to be carried out. The child must reply, "Mother, may I?" before carrying out the order, to which Mother always consents. However, if the child omits to ask permission, he or she is required to go back to the start. Children who have advanced a long way towards the goal are thus brought to ruin; instructions to go backwards must also be asked for lest a worse fate awaits. The art to being a good mother is to bring everyone as equally as possible.
Tasks
💜Read a book with a mother MC
💜Read a book with a title that asks a question
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
💜Read a book where someone is denied permission to do something they want
Week 18 - Follow the LeaderFollow the Leader is one of the oldest children’s games, played all over the world. One person leads while others copy their movements, paths, or actions. The game encourages creativity, observation, and leadership—and no two games are ever the same.
To follow the leader and win, complete one of the following tasks:
1) Read a book that is #1 in series
The Bourne Identity
2) Read a book featuring a strong leader (your interpretation)
3) Read a book with at least two people on the cover
4) Read a book from a series you "follow" (currently on book 2 or higher)
📞👂 📞Week 19: Telephone 📞👂📞description
Telephone is a popular, classic children’s party game where a whispered message is passed sequentially down a line or circle, often resulting in a hilariously garbled final phrase. It tests listening and communication skills as players try to pass the message accurately without repeating it. The game highlights how information distorts when passed along, providing fun, team-building, and a, "mellow," activity for kids.
Players: Generally requires three or more people, making it perfect for parties, classrooms, or families.
How to play:
The first player whispers a message (often a phrase, tongue twister, or sentence) to the next player's ear only once.
Each person repeats what they heard to the next person, continuing down the line.
The final player announces the, often completely different, message they received, comparing it to the original for a laugh.
Choose one of the following tasks:
1. RAB with at lease 2 ears showing on the cover
2. RAB with MPG Humor genre
3. RAB with a title that starts with a letter in WHISPER
Scorpia Rising
👍🏻👍🏻7️⃣7️⃣👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻7️⃣7️⃣ Week 20: HEADS UP-SEVEN-UP 7️⃣7️⃣👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻7️⃣7️⃣👍🏻👍🏻How to Play
Seven students stand in front of the group playing. The rest of the children put their heads down or cover their eyes. The seven then move about and each touches a child. Once touched, the child sticks his or her thumb up. Once seven children have been picked, the original seven say “Heads up, Seven up!” The children who were touched then get a chance to guess which of the seven touched each of them. If they guessed right, they get to change places and be one of the students in the front.
Alternate Version
In this version, all the children put their heads down and extend one thumb. The leader (teacher, camp counselor, etc) then secretly chooses one child as “It.” This child goes around touching the thumbs of six other children. If a child is touched, he or she goes to the front of the room. When 6 other children have been chosen, “It” yells, “Seven up!” Everyone raises their heads and tries to guess which of the seven children is “It.”
Tasks
7️⃣Read a book with children on the cover or just a head on the cover
👍🏻Read a book where someone is chosen to be a part of or to lead something
7️⃣Read a book that is 7th in a series or has a 7 in the page count
The Andromeda Strain
👀 👀 👀 Hide and Seek 👀 👀 👀The ultimate, timeless test of stealth, patience, and trying absolutely everywhere *not* to sneeze. 🙈 There is no thrill quite like the high-stakes adrenaline rush of finding the perfect hiding spot, squeezing into a ridiculously tight closet, and holding your breath while the "seeker" slowly walks past your door. 🚪 Every creak of the floorboards turns into a suspense movie soundtrack, and your heart beats so loud you’re convinced everyone in a three-block radius can hear it. 💓
Then comes the best part: the sweet victory of sprinting back to "home base" before anyone spots you, or the absolute jump-scare of being found! 🏃♂️💨 Whether you're an expert hider who blends into the curtains like a chameleon 🦎 or the seeker desperately shouting *"Ready or not, here I come!"* into an empty living room, it's a game that instantly turns anyone back into a kid. It proves that sometimes, the most fun you can have is just sitting entirely still in the dark, praying your socks aren't sticking out! 🧦✨
Tasks
👀 read a book with a character who is hiding from something/someone (your interpretation).Possession
👀 read a book with a three word title.
👀 read a book with a character who is looking for someone/something (your interpretation)).
🤼♂️ 🤼♂️ 🤼♂️ Kabaddi 🤼♂️ 🤼♂️ 🤼♂️Kabaddi is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of the traditional games of South Asia. In the game, a raider enters the opposing half of the court to tag the defenders and attempt to return within 30 seconds without being tackled. Points are awarded for successful tags, while defenders earn a point for tackling the raider. Tagged or tackled players are temporarily out but can re-enter when their team scores. Raids alternate between teams throughout the game.
It is popular in South Asia and nearby Asian countries. Although accounts of kabaddi are found in ancient India, dating back to the Vedic period (1500 BC to 500 BC) the game was popularized as a competitive sport in the 20th century. Currently, it is the third most popular and viewed sport in India after cricket and football.
Tasks:
- Read a book set in a South Asian country (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka).
- Read a book with a 2 or a 7 in the page count.
We Burned So Bright
- Read the third book in a series.
Week 23 - Blind Man's BluffBlind man's bluff is a classic, traditional tag game where one player is blindfolded ("It") and attempts to tag others in a designated area, often spinning to become disoriented first. Players avoid the seeker, and when tagged, that person becomes "It" or must be identified to switch roles. It is widely played outdoors or in open spaces.
To avoid becoming "It", complete one of the following tasks:
1) Read a book that does not have the letters I or T (it) in the title
2) Read a book with an outdoor scene on the cover
3) Read a book that begins with a letter in TAG
The Gully of Bluemansdyke And Other stories
4) Read a book that switches viewpoints
🤾🏽♂️ 🛝 ⛹🏼♀️ Week 24: June 15, 2026 - Tug of War ⛹🏼♀️ 🛝 🤾🏽♂️Tug of War (also known as tug o' war, tug-a-war, tug war, rope war, rope pulling, or tugging war) is a sport in which two teams compete by pulling on opposite ends of a rope, with the goal of bringing the rope a certain distance in one direction against the force of the opposing team's pull. Practiced in Egypt, China, India and Greece, the sport has ancient origins and has also been practiced in other various cultures throughout history. It was included in the Summer Olympics from 1900 to 1920, but is no longer part of the Olympic program. Tug of War continues to be practiced in schools, community events, and organized competitions worldwide.
Tug of War typically involves teams of eight or more members, though the number can vary. The rope is marked with a center line and two markers equidistant from the center. The objective is to pull the opposing team’s marker across the center line. Specific rules govern techniques, such as prohibiting touching the ground for extended periods of time or lowering one's elbow below the knee during a pull. The sport requires both cooperation of team members and physical strength.
To play this game, complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book tagged WAR.
2. Read a book with the word OF in the title.
The Circus of Adventure
3. Read a book with a character who is described as being cooperative or having physical strength.
🥢 🥢 🥢 Chopsticks 🥢 🥢 🥢Chopsticks (sometimes called Splits, Calculator, or just Sticks) is a hand game for two or more players, in which players extend a number of fingers from each hand and transfer those scores by taking turns tapping one hand against another.Players tally points using the fingers of both hands, with each extended finger counting as one point. A hand with less than five points is considered to be "living"; if it collects five points or more, it is "knocked out" and becomes "dead". The goal of the game is to knock out both of the opponent’s hands; the winner is the last player with a living hand.
The game is thought to have evolved from traditional East Asian finger-counting games, and thought to have spread across the world through cultural exchanges and immigrant communities. Passed down through schoolyards and social gatherings for generations, it became a globally recognized playground staple used to teach basic mathematics and combinatorial game theory.
Tasks:
- Read a book with a number in the title.
- Read a book in which a hand is at least partially visible on the cover.
The River of Adventure
- Read a book with the word 'math' or 'mathematics' in the text.
🐒 🏐 🐒 Monkey in the Middle 🐒 🏐 🐒Picture a chaotic, high-energy circle of friends where the ultimate goal is keeping one person stranded in the center! Monkey in the Middle is the classic playground game of aerial evasion. Two or more players stand on the outside, launching a ball (or sometimes a stray recess hat 🧢) back and forth over the head of the "monkey" trapped in the middle. The players on the outside use clever feints, bullet passes, and towering rainbow throws 🌈 to keep the object just out of reach, resulting in a flurry of leaps, dives, and dramatic near-misses.
The real magic happens the exact second the monkey intercepts the ball or capitalizes on a fumbled catch 🏐. With a triumphant shout, the roles instantly reverse! The person who threw the botched pass or lost possession is now crowned the new monkey 🐒, inherits the center ring, and the frantic cycle of keep-away begins all over again. It is a timeless recipe for non-stop laughter, breathless lunges, and friendly playground bragging rights.
🐒 read a book with a title that starts with a letter in the word "MONKEY."
🐒 read a standalone.
🐒 read a book with a four word title
Hercule Poirot's Silent Night
🔵🪢🪢🪢🔵🪢🪢🪢🔵Week 27: CHINESE JUMP ROPE🔵🪢🪢🪢🔵🪢🪢🪢🔵Chinese jump rope is a children's game resembling hopscotch and jump rope. Various moves (creation of positions or figures) are combined to create patterns which are often accompanied by chants.
How to Play
The game is typically played by three or more players using a string of rubber bands that has been tied into a circle, usually at least six feet long, or an elastic rope. Two of the participants (the holders) face each other several feet apart, and position the string around their ankles so that it is taut. The third player (the jumper) stands between the two sides of the rope and must accomplish a series of increasingly difficult moves without making an error. The position of the string is raised as the jumper moves through the levels, from ankle to waist height and higher.
The moves involve jumping and repositioning the feet in some manner. Some of the more common moves are jumping so that both feet land outside the rope, both are inside the rope, one is inside and one is outside, or both are on top of the rope. These moves are called "out" (it may be thought of as "straddling"), "in", "side", and "on" respectively, which the two other participants chant as the player executes them. Some other, less common, moves involve manipulating the rope. A "pull" is when the jumper carries a side of the rope with one's foot or feet, generally crossing it over the other side. Crossing the ropes with one's legs in between them is "diamonds". One of these moves, called "scissors", is executed by starting with both feet outside the rope and then crossing the legs, with the ropes in tow, so that a formation resembling a pair of scissors is formed.
Variations
There are many variations of the game that are played. Sometimes the rope is crisscrossed so that it makes an X, and the player must move his or her feet into different sections of the X in some pattern. Instead of simply raising the rope, some players create a procession of "levels", similar to a video game, that the player must complete before winning the game. When a player returns to jumping, they continue the game from the last uncompleted level. The player that first completes the levels (usually five to nine, up to neck height) wins the game. These levels often have specific names, such as the "roller coaster," which is a crisscrossed rope that is higher at one end than the other.
Tasks
🪢Read a book with a rope, string or other similar item on the cover
🪢Read a book with all the letters of ROPE in the title/sub-title
Atmosphere
🪢Read a book where someone must follow a set of instructions in order to achieve an outcome (like following a recipe)
Week 28 - Ante-OverAnte Over (or "Annie Annie Over") is a classic 19th-century children’s team game involving throwing a ball over a building (or obstacle) to the other side. Players yell "Ante over!" to warn opponents of a throw. If a team catches the ball, they run around to tag opponents; tagged players switch sides. If the ball doesn't make it over the roof, the opposing team yells "Pigtail" to let the other team know it's a redo.
I played this game all of the time with my cousins growing up over my grandma's back shed. Typing this up brought back so many fun memories!
To avoid a "pigtail", complete one of the following tasks:
1) Read a book that begins with a letter in ANTE
2) Read a book in a series that is "over" (completed)
3) Read a book where a character switches sides (your interpretation)
4) Read a book with a building on the cover
Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris
🤾🏽♂️ 🛝 ⛹🏼♀️ Week 29: July 20, 2026 - London Bridge ⛹🏼♀️ 🛝 🤾🏽♂️How to Play the Traditional Game
1. Choose the Bridge: Two players face each other, join hands, and raise their arms to create an arch.
2. Form the Line: The rest of the players form a single line and hold hands or grab the waist of the person in front of them.
3. Sing and March: As the line walks in a circle and passes under the arch, everyone sings the famous nursery rhyme.
4. The "Fall": On the last word of the song (usually "lady" in "...My fair lady"), the arch players quickly lower their arms to trap whoever is underneath.
5. Continue: The captured player either joins the "bridge" or sits out, and the game repeats until only one player remains.
To play this game, complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book with a bridge on the cover.
2. Read a book where a character sings or marches.
3. Read a book where a character falls...literally or figuratively.
Cage of Souls
🌋🌋🌋 Floor is Lava 🌋🌋🌋The floor is lava is a game in which players pretend that the floor or ground is made of lava (or any other lethal substance, such as acid or quicksand), and thus must avoid touching the ground, as touching the ground would "kill" the player who did so. The players stay off the floor by standing on furniture or the room's architecture. The players generally may not remain still, and are required to move from one piece of furniture to the next. The game can be played with a group or alone for self amusement. It may also be played outdoors in playgrounds or similar areas.
A 2018 preprint on Social Science Research Network suggested the game originates from a rise of living rooms populated with furniture during late 1930s. The living room's ubiquitous nature and the game's simplicity allowed the game to rapidly spread from peer to peer. In 2020, Netflix released a TV show based on the game called Floor Is Lava, in which three teams compete to win $10,000 in different challenges.
Tasks:
- Read a book set in a country from the following list, where a large volcanic eruption occurred: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
- Read a book written or set in the 1930s.
- Read a book with four zeroes in the page count and/or publication date.
Welcome to The 2026 Playground Reading Challenge!
☀️🏃♂️ Get ready to lace up your sneakers and head out to the blacktop! We’re trading the controllers for classic playground fun in an epic year-long reading marathon. 🏃♂️☀️
The Big Game: Master the "Playground Game of the Week" by tackling literary hurdles to become the 2026 Ultimate Playground Legend!
The Rules of the Game
1. The Monday Whistle: Every Monday, starting January 5, 2026, we’ll announce a new "Playground Game of the Week" (think Hopscotch, Handball, Tag, or Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?).
2. Triple Dog Dare: Each game comes with three reading prompts inspired by its rules, history, or vibe.
3. Choose Your Lane: You can complete the reading trials in any order you like,no cutting in line!
4. The Goal Line: Finish at least one book associated with each playground game by the end of the year.
5. The Chalkboard (Quest Log): Keep track of your wins in your personal thread. If you played last year, keep using your old thread! New players, grab a piece of chalk and start a new one.
6. Winning the Trophy:
Identify the "Playground Game of the Week."
Complete at least one of the three reading tasks before the final bell rings at the end of the year.
Share your "game highlights" and books in your log.