This game couldn’t be more simple, everyone starts out by standing in the play area by themselves. The leader will smack the pan with the wooden spoon any number of times and the players will count the number of hits. If the leader hits the pan four times, for example, the players need to quickly get in a group of four and hug each other tight. Anyone who isn’t in a group of four is out.

The leader then hits the pan a different amount of times, say five, and again, the players form a group of five, and anyone who isn’t in a group of five is out. The last two players remaining are the winners! Without fail, this game leads to a frenzy of bodies shuffling around trying to snatch the group they need. This leads to friendships, betrayals, and chaos in a matter of minutes!

The key to calling numbers as the leader is to keep track of how many people are left in the game. This way you can try to hit the pan in a way where you don’t accidentally eliminate half of your group all at once, for example if you’re down to 15 people and you hit it 8 times, 7 people get out all at once, whereas you could hit it 5 times, then 3 times, then 5 times again, then 1 time, then 7 times! That way only one person is out, and the game can go on a little longer.

Try to take advantage of opportunities where you can make the players form really large groups, and don’t be afraid to throw in a group hug! If you play another round, this is a really easy one to have one to give your youth a chance to lead.