the bell game (s)

We play two games at preschool using bells. The kids love both.

The first game is really silly and something that does not seem like it would keep any one's attention, but it sure does. It is in fact a real favorite. We first played it at a library time in IN when Bee was little bitty. The children sit around in a circle. The tall bell is placed on a book. Someone holds the book and hands it to the first child. The child takes the bell, rings it a time or two, and places it back on the book. Then it's the next child's turn. The helper (an adult probably) says a lot of things like "thanks for sharing Maddy," "It's our next friends turn," "good sharing, thank you Nick."


The second game involves the bell in the plastic case. The children sit in a circle. One child steps out. The bell is given to one of the remaining children. All children cup their hands and shake them, pretending to have the bell. The child who was gone comes back and tries to guess which child really is shaking the bell. This is when Lou usually yells out who really has the bell.
Still, it's a fun game to play.