PLAYING ALONE, AND GAMES IN BED

Chinese Gambling
This is the simplest game possible but will while away endless hours. It is played with nothing but your hands, which are made to assume three positions: one with clenched fist; one spread out flat; and one with fi...

Bricks
Among the best toys with which to play alone are bricks, soldiers, balls, battledore and shuttlecock, and dolls. No one needs any hints as how to play with them; but it might be remarked that ordinary bought bricks...

Soldiers
A good game of soldiers is to see how many shots are required from a cannon to kill the whole regiment. The cannon can either be a spring cannon or a pop-gun, or a pea-shooter. Just at first it is almost impossible...

Ninepins
With a box of ninepins very much the same game can be played. In wet weather, in the hall, a box of large ninepins is invaluable. ...

Spanish Cup And Ball
A good quiet game to play alone is "Spanish Cup and Ball." A long stick has fastened to it a loop of wire standing out at right angles, thus. To this is attached by a long string a worsted, or a very light rubber b...

Balancing
All kinds of balancing games are excellent when you are alone and tired of toys. There is no way to acquire proficiency in these but by practice, but practice is fascinating work. Try balancing at first a long pole...

Bruce's Heart
Where toys become tedious, games have to be made up; and in making up games no outside help is needed. At the same time, some games which E. H. describes may perhaps supply a hint or two. "One little girl," she wri...

The Hotel Camps
Another little girl whom E. H. knew "once spent a short time in a hotel, and while there divided the other people into camps according to the floor on which they had rooms. The designs in the windows on the various...

Block City
The little book called A Child's Garden of Verses, by R. L. Stevenson, has several poems which describe how a lonely little boy used to play. Thus (in "Block City"):-- Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet a se...

Story-books
And (in "The Land of Story-Books"):-- Now, with my little gun, I crawl All in the dark along the wall, And follow round the forest track Away behind the sofa back. There, in the night, where none ca...

The Bed Boat
That is ordinary play. There is also a poem describing play in bed:-- My bed is like a little boat; Nurse helps me in when I embark; She girds me in my sailor's coat And starts me in the dark. ...

Games By Rote
On this subject B. R. L. writes:--"We made a list, which was stuck on the wall with a different game for each night. One was 'I Love my Love with an A' (see p. 88), which we steadily made up all through the alphabe...

The Imaginary Family
E. H. recommends for girls the "Imaginary Family" game. This is her description of it:--"First you have to settle the names, ages, and characters of your family, and then you can carry on their adventures every nig...

Making Plans
Making plans is always interesting, but particularly so just before Christmas, when presents have to be arranged for. ...

For Getting To Sleep
The favorite way is to imagine that you see a flock of sheep scrambling through a gap in the hedge, and to count them. A variety of this is a desert with a long train of camels very far off, coming slowly near, and...

Games For Convalescents
A good thing to do in bed when getting better from an illness is to cut out pictures for scrapbooks. Any kind of cutting out can be done, as the scissors and paper are very light and do not, therefore, tire the arm...

Bed Soldiers
In A Child's Garden of Verses there is a poem called "The Land of Counterpane," which tells what a little boy did when he was ill, lying among the pillows with his toys: And sometimes for an hour or so I wat...