Alternate Activity 3: Game - Belling the Cat
Part of Signs of Our Faith
Activity time: 20 minutes
Materials for Activity
- Chairs
- A small bell
Preparation for Activity
- Arrange the meeting space as described below, making sure the game will be accessible for all participants.
Description of Activity
Children play a derivation of Doggie, Doggie, Who's Got the Bone with a cat and bell instead of a dog and bone.
Choose a volunteer to be the cat. The cat sits in a chair, isolated from the group, with their back to the group and eyes closed. A volunteer from the group, (the mouse) is silently picked to sneak up and place a bell beneath the chair of the cat. After they sit back down with the group, everyone sings: "Cat, cat, you've got a bell. Who put it there? Can you tell?" Give the cat one chances to guess the identity of the mouse (or two or three chances, depending on the size of your group).
Give everyone who wishes a turn at being the cat. Let participants take turns choosing the mouse.
Variation
To make the game harder, allow the cat to turn around while the bell is being placed and try to catch the mouse before the mouse returns to its seat.
Including All Participants
Do not play the game if you are not able to make it accessible to all participants.