Signs

This is a good game for ages 5 – adult. You’ll want a group of 5-15 people. However, 8-12 people works best. It doesn’t require any equipment.

 

Game Instructions:

Everyone sits in a circle facing inward. Every player chooses a “sign”, which is some kind of movement or motion that is unique to them. The sign needs to be easily detectable by others but not too obvious to attract attention. Examples of signs are sticking your tongue out, scratching your nose, rubbing your stomach, and making two thumbs up. Everyone demonstrates their sign to the rest of the group. Now you’re ready to play.

The goal of the game is to keep passing signs to other players as long as possible without getting caught by the person in the middle. The person in the middle tries to figure out where the sign is and catch the person who currently has the sign.

To begin, have the person in the middle close his eyes and count to ten. The group silently decides who within the group will start with the sign. This person “has” the sign and it is his goal to “pass” the sign to other players without getting caught by the person in the middle. To pass the sign, the person has to perform his own sign, then any other player’s sign. For example, if Player 1’s sign is to scratch his nose and Player 2’s sign is to blink both eyes, then Player 1 must scratch his nose, then blink both eyes. Player 2 then accepts the sign by blinking both eyes. He then passes the sign by performing another player’s sign. The person in the middle looks around, trying to catch the person with the sign. To guess, he points to a player and asks, “Do you have the sign?” If yes, the person who was caught is now in the middle.