Game

Have at least 6 children sit or stand in a line. For bigger groups, a circle would work better. 

Have an adult or leader tell the first child at one end of the line a short message.

The object of the game is to communicate this message by whispering it quietly to the child next to them and so on, up through the line. They should only say it once. 

The last child at the end of the line must then state out loud what the word or message they received was. 

Children often enjoy seeing how a word or message can be changed due to miscommunication. The players are not to deliberately change what they heard. 

Tell them not to try and make sense of what they heard, just parrot it. 

The goal is to have the word or message that travels up the line of children to be the same as when it started. 

Possible starting sentences: 

1. Sunny days are great days to go sailing in my white yacht. 

2. I love eating toasted cheese and tuna sandwiches. 

3. A pink pig and a pesky donkey flew a kite at night 

4. It pays to be a little crazy if you want to become a free runner. 

5. It's best to start doing your homework when you first get back home from school. 

6. Don't take your puppy for long walks in the rain in case it falls down a drain. (Give the students a turn at making up messages.)

Discussion Questions 

1. What is gossip? Is it good or bad? Why? 

2. What does playing this game teach us about gossip? 

3. When someone tells you something about another person, do you always believe them? Why/why not? 

4. What would you say to someone saying unkind things about your friend? 

Image source: https://lonelygirlbloggers19.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/telephone-cartoon.jpg