Duck, duck, goose
Encyclopedia
Duck, Duck, Goose or Duck, Duck, Gray Duck is a traditional children's game often first learned in pre-school
or kindergarten
then later adapted on the playground for early elementary students. The object of this game is to walk in a circle, tapping on each child's head until one is finally chosen to be the new picker.
" until finally picking one to be a "goose" The "goose" then rises and chases and tries to tag the "picker", while the "picker" tries to return to and sit where the "goose" had been sitting. If the picker succeeds, the "goose" is now the new picker and the process begins again. If the "goose" succeeds in tagging the picker, the "goose" may return to sit in the previous spot and the "picker" resumes the process. With older players, the "goose" may attempt to tackle the "picker".
There is also a version called I Wrote a Letter to My Mother, where the handkerchief is imagined as a letter being accidentally dropped. This version has a song which goes:
The Marathi
version of this song is "Maazhya aaiche patra harawla, te malaa saapadla".
The Rag Tag version is the standard game in France where it is called jeu du mouchoir (handkerchief game). The same is true for Germany, where it is called Plumpssack (plop sack), and for Poland, where it is called Mam chusteczkę haftowaną (I got a knitted cloth), as well as in Japan, where it's known as Hankachi-Otoshi (handkerchief drop).
A second version of extreme duck duck goose that has existed since at least 2004 maintains the usual roles for the goose and the picker, but changes the rules for the others in the circle. The rest of the group can get up and tackle or otherwise help or hinder the picker or the goose as they desire.
A third variation of Extreme Duck Duck Goose involves the circle of players in a different way. In this variation, as the goose spot is opened, any player in the circle may switch from their spot to the open one, causing the "goose" spot to move around the circle, prolonging the chase.
A fourth variation of Extreme Duck Duck Goose is for larger groups (20 or more) and older children (even into college). In this variation, the game is played as normal, however there are two "pickers" going in opposite directions. Their respective geese must maintain the direction of their "picker" as they chase them around the circle.
troops, this is a very physical and rough version of the game and is meant for older players. Instead of sitting, everyone stands in the traditional circle formation. In the middle of the circle is a ball or similar object (a rubber playground ball is preferred). Much like Extreme Duck Duck Goose, instead of chasing the picker, the boof instead goes the opposite way around the circle and tries to intercept the picker on the opposite side of the circle. All out physical contact is allowed and encouraged depending on the involved parties. Once they come back around to the boof's starting location, instead of taking the empty spot, the picker and the boof must crawl between the legs of the person to the right of the boof's starting spot. The first person to crawl through and grab the ball inside the middle of the circle is deemed the winner and joins the circle.
, or pulling oneself around on one's stomach for duck duck amoeba
. The motion does not necessarily have to correspond to an actual animal, as the picker may choose to roll around the circle for duck duck rock
.
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
or kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
then later adapted on the playground for early elementary students. The object of this game is to walk in a circle, tapping on each child's head until one is finally chosen to be the new picker.
Basic concept
A group of players sit in a circle, facing inward, while another player, the "picker" (a.k.a. the "fox"), (some young children call the "picker" the "ducker") walks around tapping or pointing to each player in turn, calling each a "duckDuck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
" until finally picking one to be a "goose" The "goose" then rises and chases and tries to tag the "picker", while the "picker" tries to return to and sit where the "goose" had been sitting. If the picker succeeds, the "goose" is now the new picker and the process begins again. If the "goose" succeeds in tagging the picker, the "goose" may return to sit in the previous spot and the "picker" resumes the process. With older players, the "goose" may attempt to tackle the "picker".
Duck, duck, gray duck
This variation, by all accounts, is only played in Minnesota. This version adds an element to the game by introducing the placement of adjectives before nouns. So, as the game is played, the person that is "it" walks around the circle tapping heads he says what color duck the other players are. For example, "red duck", "blue duck", "yellow duck", etc., but when a player is called a gray duck, he gets up and chases the person who is "it". Often, the Mush Pot version of play is included in Duck, Duck, Gray Duck.Daisy in the dell
A variation described in the 1919 book, Entertaining Made Easy by Emily Rose Burt, has children standing in a circle, joining hands. The daisy picker goes around the outside, saying "Daisy in the dell, I don't pick you ... I do pick you."Mush Pot
A group of people sit in a circle facing inward. One person is "it" and walks around the circle. As he walks around, he taps players' heads and say whether the player is a "duck" or a "goose". When a player is called a goose, he gets up and chases "it" around the circle, possibly running multiple laps around the circle. The goal is to tag that person before he is able to sit down in the "goose's" spot. If the "goose" is not able to do this, he become "it" for the next round and play continues. If the person who is "it" is tagged, he has to sit in the center of the circle (the "Mush Pot" or "Stew Pot" or "Cookie Jar"). Then the "goose" becomes "it" for the next round. The person in the middle can't leave until another person is tagged and he is replaced.Duck Duck Splash
"Duck duck splash" is an alternative to the traditional game. This alternative is typically played during the summer months. The "picker" carries a small bucket of water around the circle and uses it to splash the person who will be the goose. This version is also commonly called "Drip Drip Splash" or, in Canada, "Drip Drip Drop."Rag Tag / I Wrote a Letter to My Mother
In Rag Tag or Drop the Handkerchief, the players sit in a circle facing inward, while another child, the "picker", walks around the outside of the circle carrying a rag or handkerchief until finally dropping it behind one child. This child then rises, grabs the rag, and chases and tries to tag the picker. The picker tries to return to the spot where the picked child had been sitting and sit in that spot. If the picker succeeds, the other child is now the new picker and the process begins again. If the child succeeds in tagging the picker, the same child may return to sit in the previous spot and the picker resumes the process. In some versions, the one who is tagged is "out" and must sit in the center of the circle; when the resulting circle becomes too small, a new game may be started.There is also a version called I Wrote a Letter to My Mother, where the handkerchief is imagined as a letter being accidentally dropped. This version has a song which goes:
-
- A tisket, a tasket, A green and yellow basket, I wrote a letter to my mother, on the way I dropped it, and one of you has picked it up and put it in your pocket. Not you, not you, not you, not you ...
The Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
version of this song is "Maazhya aaiche patra harawla, te malaa saapadla".
The Rag Tag version is the standard game in France where it is called jeu du mouchoir (handkerchief game). The same is true for Germany, where it is called Plumpssack (plop sack), and for Poland, where it is called Mam chusteczkę haftowaną (I got a knitted cloth), as well as in Japan, where it's known as Hankachi-Otoshi (handkerchief drop).
Extreme Duck Duck Goose
This variant is played the same as regular duck duck goose, except in how the goose and picker try to get back to the empty spot. Instead of the goose chasing after the picker, he or she goes the opposite way and tries to intercept the picker on the other side of the circle. Physical contact is allowed (but not required); this usually involves wrestling and soft tackling. Throwing of limbs or fists is never allowed, the intent is always to only temporarily slow down your opponent so you can be first back to the empty spot. This version is also sometimes referred to as Yak Yak Moose.A second version of extreme duck duck goose that has existed since at least 2004 maintains the usual roles for the goose and the picker, but changes the rules for the others in the circle. The rest of the group can get up and tackle or otherwise help or hinder the picker or the goose as they desire.
A third variation of Extreme Duck Duck Goose involves the circle of players in a different way. In this variation, as the goose spot is opened, any player in the circle may switch from their spot to the open one, causing the "goose" spot to move around the circle, prolonging the chase.
A fourth variation of Extreme Duck Duck Goose is for larger groups (20 or more) and older children (even into college). In this variation, the game is played as normal, however there are two "pickers" going in opposite directions. Their respective geese must maintain the direction of their "picker" as they chase them around the circle.
Bonga Bonga Boof
A version popular among Boy ScoutBoy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
troops, this is a very physical and rough version of the game and is meant for older players. Instead of sitting, everyone stands in the traditional circle formation. In the middle of the circle is a ball or similar object (a rubber playground ball is preferred). Much like Extreme Duck Duck Goose, instead of chasing the picker, the boof instead goes the opposite way around the circle and tries to intercept the picker on the opposite side of the circle. All out physical contact is allowed and encouraged depending on the involved parties. Once they come back around to the boof's starting location, instead of taking the empty spot, the picker and the boof must crawl between the legs of the person to the right of the boof's starting spot. The first person to crawl through and grab the ball inside the middle of the circle is deemed the winner and joins the circle.
Duck Duck Animal
This variant can suddenly be applied to a standard game of duck duck goose if the picker decides to tag someone as an animal other than a duck or a goose. The picker then chooses a relevant form of movement or charade, and the picker and the animal race back to the spot using that form of movement or charade. Some examples include hopping around the circle for duck duck kangarooKangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
, or pulling oneself around on one's stomach for duck duck amoeba
Amoeba
Amoeba is a genus of Protozoa.History=The amoeba was first discovered by August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof in 1757. Early naturalists referred to Amoeba as the Proteus animalcule after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his shape...
. The motion does not necessarily have to correspond to an actual animal, as the picker may choose to roll around the circle for duck duck rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
.
Pato Pato Ganso
When the "goose" is picked, the "picker" runs in one direction of his or her choice around the circle, while the "goose" runs in the other direction. The first person who gets to the vacant space rejoins the circle, while the other person becomes the "picker".Kho Kho
In some parts of South Asia (predominantly Indian communities) a game called Kho Kho is played. In this game a runner is picked and gets to run around a circle or line of other players and tap one on the shoulder upon saying "Kho", this player then becomes the runner while the previous runner takes his spot upon completing one round. The origin of Kho Kho is unknown.Other variations
- In many cases, the picker will tap heads and state the names of other birds, like "hummingbird", or "crane". When they do that, however, the picker is not actually choosing the "goose". If you make a move to get up and start running when you have not yet been called "goose", you are now the picker. The game restarts with the original picker sitting down in your spot.
See also
- Poor MaryPoor Mary"Poor Mary" or "Poor Jenny" is a popular English language nursery rhyme and singing game. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 1377.-Lyrics:...
- Kagome KagomeKagome KagomeKagome Kagome is a Japanese children's game. One child is chosen as the oni and sits blindfolded . The other children join hands and walk in circles around the oni while chanting the song for the game...
(A related Japanese game.) - Red light/Green light
- Mother May I?Mother May I?-Objective, Rules, and General Gameplay:One player plays the "mother", "father" or "captain". The other players are the "children" or "crewmembers". To begin the game, the mother or father stands at one end of a room, while all the children line up at the other end. The children take turns...
- Simon SaysSimon saysSimon says is a children's game for three or more players where one player takes the role of 'Simon' and issues instructions, to the other players, which should only be followed if prefaced with the phrase 'Simon says', for example 'Simon says jump in the air'...
- LeapfrogLeapfrogLeapfrog is a children's game in which players vault over each other's stooped backs. The first participant rests hands on knees and bends over, which is called giving a back. Games of this sort have been called by this name since at least the late sixteenth century.The next player places hands on...