40) Mother May I

Supplies
* none

How to Play
Have players line up, side by side, behind a "starting point." Pick one person to be "Mother" (or "Pastor," "Teacher," etc). This person should stand at least 20 feet away, at a "finish line," facing away from the group in order to prevent favortism. Each participant takes turns, from one end of the line to the other, asking permission to advance towards the finish line, by requesting a number and type of move. For example, the first child may ask, "Mother may I take 3 giant steps forward?" Mother may answer with, "Yes you may," "No, you may not," or "No you may not, but you may______(take two sissor steps)." Each player must follow the decision of Mother. The first person to the finish line wins, and becomes the new mother.

Strategy
Often, though not always, Mother ends up judging between the requests, and is most likely to say yes to modest requests, while refusing the more bold requests. Some mothers even reward the meek requests by denying them and offering something better, while "punishing" the bold requests by denying and offering less.

Note
Sometimes, participants will suggest a move you haven't heard of. Mother will have to decide by the sound of it, whether to say yes or no.
Some examples of "steps" include:
Hops
Baby Steps
Giant Steps
Leaps
Summersaults
Skip
Gallop
Sissor Steps (large steps in which the right foot stretches out past the left foot, and then the left foot stretches out past the right; this is one complete sissor step)

from 1/1/07, 12:43am