BABY GAMES B BO-PEEP. O-PEEP is the earliest and oldest of children's games. It is played by throwing a handkerchief over the child's head, and calling out boldly, "Bo," then lifting up a corner or pulling it off altogether, and saying in a pleasant treble, "Peep!" Or it may be played over the nurse's shoulder by a third party saying "Bo" one side, and "Peep" the other. Baby very soon enters into the fun of the game, and begins to say "Bo" and "Peep" of its own accord. When it can run alone it will play "Bo-peep" with a curtain or a chair, or in any available corner. FINGER GAMES. 1. THE FRIENDS. THE five fingers are to be distinguished as Thumb, Mrs. Meddlesome, Mr. Longman, Mr. Doctor, and Miss Littlegirl. Point first to the thumb, holding the baby's hand erect, and say, moving it backwards and forwards : Dance, Thumbkin, dance, Dance, Thumbkin, dance; Dance, ye merry men all round (setting all the fingers going); But Thumbkin he can dance alone; But Thumbkin he can dance alone. * FOR LITTLE TODDLERS. Then point to the next finger, and move it up and down, repeating the rhyme, but substituting the name of the finger,as, "Dance, Mrs. Meddlesome," dance, &c. And so on with all the fingers in turn. 2. THE FARM. Pointing to each finger of the extended hand in turn, say,— 2. This stole the corn. 3. This got none. 4. This went winky pinky 5. All the way home! 3.-Fox's HOLE. THIS is an amusing game for little children. Make a fist of your left hand, but do not quite close the fingers; then say or sing, Put your finger in Fox's hole, Fox is not at home; Fox is at the back door, Picking an old bone. When the child puts its finger in, close yours quickly, holding the little one tight, and say, "Oh, dear! dear me! why Fox is at home after all!" The game is made more amusing by letting the little intruder escape several times before a capture takes place. 4.-CROW'S NEST Is very similar to Fox's Hole. Cross the first and second * 19 BABY GAMES in the centre. Repeat the verses used for Fox's Hole, but substitute Crow for Fox; thus: A GAME FOR THE TOES. POINT to, or squeeze each toe separately, and say: 1. Harry Whistle, 2. Tommy Thistle, 3. Harry Whible, 4. Tommy Thible, 5. And little Okerbell. A GAME WITH THE FEET. THIS is also amusing to infants, either when teaching them to walk, or it may be played, moving their feet up and down, as FOR LITTLE toddlers. The dog of the hill, He went to the mill To lick mill dust: The miller he came With a stick on his back, Home, dog, home! The foot behind, The foot before, When he came to the style "HERE WE GO ROUND THE MULBERRY-BUSH." "HERE we go round the Mulberry-bush" is a very oldfashioned game, in which the youngest children delight; nor does it generally fail to amuse the elder ones. On a wet, or cold day, it affords excellent sport and fun. The players are supposed to be charity children, and a mulberry-bush is supposed to be growing in the centre of the ring they form by joining hands and dancing round, singing merrily, CHORUS: "Here we go round the mulberry-bush, the mulberrybush, the mulberry-bush, Here we go round the mulberry-bush, all on a summer's day." Then they stop, and, dropping hands, begin to sing, "This is the way we brush our hair, we brush our hair, we brush our hair; This is the way we brush our hair, all on a summer's day," * BABY GAMES suiting the action to the word, and making a pirouette at the end. Then joining hands they dance round again to the chorus. Next, having dropped hands, again they will sing, "This is the way we make our beds, we make our beds, we make our beds; This is the way we make our beds, all on a summer's day." And imitating the action meanwhile. After repeating the chorus again, the next performance will be, "This is the way we wash our clothes," &c.; to be followed by "This is the way we knead our bread," &c., and "This is the way we sweep the room;" the concluding act being "This is the way we make a curtsey." Of course one takes the part of leader, suggesting the subjects, and setting the example of how the process is imagined; and winding up finally with the merry chorus, "This is the way we march along," which is one of the incidents of the "Mulberry-bush" that is always well received. TAFFY WAS A SOLDIER Is a game of Welsh origin similar to the Mulberry-bush, but more uproariously merry, and quite as amusing to boys as girls; it only wants a spirited jolly elder sister or buxom aunt to set it going in all its glory, completely to inspire all the juveniles. A ring is made by joining hands, and the children dance round, singing with animation,— CHORUS. "Taffy was a soldier, a soldier, a soldier; Taffy was a soldier, and liked a pot of stout." |