It’s Raining Outside! Victorian Indoor Games
Parlour Games
This beautiful book was first published in 1889 and is filled with ideas for indoor and outdoor games.
The Victorians had many parlour games. Below are some you can try at home, or ideas for a birthday party!
Pastimes
Cards : Snap, Patience, Last Card, Happy Families
Board Games : Chess, Draughts, Snakes and Ladders, Round the World with Nellie Bligh
Patchwork: Cross stitch samplers, tapestry
Jigsaw puzzles
Painting
Stereoscope viewing
Magic lantern
Marbles
Knucklebones
Spinning tops
Kaleidoscope
Dolls’ teaparties
Paper dolls
Battleship – small wood and lead ones
Lead or tin toy soldiers
Reading
Dominoes, building blocks, ball and cup
Gyroscopes
Anagrams and Conundrums
An anagram is the transposing of the letters of a word to form a different word or sentence. Try out these ones
Sweetheart – There we sat
Presbyterian – Best in prayer
Elegant - Neat leg
A conundrum often had double meanings, what we today would probably call a riddle.
Why is hot bread like a caterpillar?
Because it’s the grub that makes the butterfly
When is a door not a door?
When it’s a jar
Games
Pass Ball
The group form a circle and are counted off as number 1 or number 2. The 1’s are given a ball or some other object easily tossed, at one end of the circle and the number 2’s a similar object on the other side of the circle. Then 1 competes against 2 by passing the object around the circle, to have it overtake and passed by the other team. When the object passed by one team has overtaken and passed that of the other, it counts as one point and the game starts over again, with the object on opposite sides of the circle.
Channel Tag
The group forms a circle, faces to the right and assumes a stride position. The one selected to be “it” takes their place in the centre of the circle. The others pass a ball or bean bag either backwards or forward between their legs. The one in the centre tries to capture the ball or bag. If they succeed, the one last touching it moves to the centre of the circle. Everyone must touch the ball or bag when it passes by them, either forward or backward.
Reuben and Rachel
The group forms a circle, joining hands. One of the players (Reuben) is blindfolded and placed in the centre of the circle. All the rest in the ring dance around him until he points to someone. That one (Rachel) enters the circle and the blind man calls out, “Rachel”. Rachel must answer. “Here I am Reuben”, and move about in the circle so as to escape being tagged by Reuben. Every time Reuben calls out “Rachel”, she must reply “Here I am Reuben”. And so it goes until she is caught. Reuben must guess who she is and if he guesses correctly Rachel is blindfolded and the game goes on as before. If not, decrease the size of the circle by the players moving in a step until Reuben catches Rachel.
Weavers’ Race
The group forms a circle which is counted off as number 1 or number 2. The number 1’s in the circle are team A, and the number 2’s are team B. Two captains stand side by side in the circle. Each holds a small stick. At the signal to GO both start racing in opposite directions around the circle, going to the rear of the first player, to the front of the second player, to the rear of the third player, etc., weaving their way in and out. They continue to weave their way back and forth from the point of the circle from which they left. Then number 1 of team A tags the next player on their team in the direction in which the first ran. Number 1 of team B tags the next one on their team who starts in the direction in which the first ran. The race continues until everyone in the team has completed a run around the circle in the required way.
Hide the Ring
The group forms a circle and each person holds a rope on which there is a small ring. One person stands in the middle of the circle and closes their eyes while the group counts to 20 while the people holding the rope pass the small ring around. The person in the middle then has to guess where the ring is - they are given three chances. Then the person with the ring changes places with the one in the middle.
Up Jenkins
The company divide up into two groups and sit around a table. One person is then given a penny and all hands of that party are concealed under the table. They shuffle the penny back and forth keeping it concealed until the other side calls out, ”Up Jenkins!” and the players whose side has the penny concealed must all place their closed hands on the table. The opposite side must then guess in which hand the penny is concealed. The hands they think have NOT got it must be told to go down, but if one of those hands should contain it, the player must show it, and the same side hides the penny again. But if all the hands but one are sent down without the penny being found, then the player must give it up, the opposite side hides it in the same manner
Trip around the World
Various articles are distributed around the room, each representative of some country. A slip of paper and a pencil are given to each member of the group, who tries to guess which country each article represents.
Fox and Hen
The group link hands and form a circle. Two players are selected, one to be “it” and the other to be chased. These two are placed on opposite sides of the circle. Then “it” tries to tag the other. Both may go in and out of the circle at will. The players in the circle try to assist the hen and impede the fox in its chase as much as possible. When the fox has caught the hen, two other players are selected to take their place.
Drop the Handkerchief
The players stand in a circle and hold hands. One walks around the outside of the ring and drops a handkerchief behind one of the players, who instantly picks up and pursues them running in the opposite direction. When they catch up, the two change places and the game goes on as before.
Prohibition
The players decide to dress a lady, but the following colours: GREEN, YELLOW, BLUE and PINK must NOT be used. One player asks of each in turn: “How will you dress my lady?” One may say: “In a white silk dress”. Another: “With a golden wreath on my head” and so on. Whoever mentions the forbidden colours pays a forfeit.
What’s the Time Mister Wolf?
One of the players is chosen to be the wolf and another to be the hen. All the others are chickens and stay behind the hen. They then advance to the wolf’s den and ask him the time. They repeat the question several times till he says “It is 12’ o clock at night” when they must instantly run away as the wolf will pursue them, the hen dodging the wolf and trying to prevent a chicken being captured. When all the chickens have been captured the game is finished.
Birds
All the players sit in a circle. Each is given a name of a bird. The keeper takes position in the centre of the room and begins to tell a story about birds. When a bird’s name is mentioned, that bird must stand up and turn around once in front of their chair. When the keeper says the word “migrate” in their story, all the birds must change seats and the keeper tries to get one of the seats. The one left without a seat continues the bird story. Otherwise the first keeper continues their story.
Kea Sparrow Thrush Blackbird Hawk
Tui Seagull Pukeko Starling Robin
Hen Rooster Pheasant Wax-eye Weka
Duck Turkey Cuckoo Pigeon Kaka
Crow Kingfisher Silver-eye Bell Bird Dove
Tern Canary Morepork Budgie Owl
Ropes
This is a relay race. Split the group into two groups and have them in a line facing forward. Boys must step through the rope and pull it up the body and off the head. For girls the rope goes over their head and down the body and out through the feet. (This was because the girls wore dresses and petticoats).
Over and Under
Get the children into two lines facing the same way, using the big ball the children must put it over then under by passing it backwards until the whole line is done.
A Letter to my Love
Children sit in a circle and one person gets the letter and walks round the room as everyone chants the following:
“I wrote a letter to my love and on the way dropped it, someone must have picked it up and put it in their pocket”. Then the person with the letter says, “It wasn’t you, it wasn’t you, it was you” and they drop the letter.
The person jumps up and chases them round the outer edge of the circle to get the person before they get back to where they dropped the letter.
