Children’s Game – Rowland Heights, California

“Concentration, concentration is the game

Keep the rhythm, keep the rhythm just the same

Subject movies

A Walk to Remember

Lord of the Rings…”

Tiffany learned this game from her friend when she was seven in elementary school in her hometown of Rowland Heights. She played it with a bunch of her friends on the playground during recess time. You have to keep to the beat by patting your lap, clapping once, snapping with your right hand and then your left hand. You just repeat this sequence over and over again while saying the words that go under the subject until someone messes up and then that person is out. People have to think quickly of a word to say and make sure that no one else has said it already. The last person who does not mess up wins the game. Children often play this game when they are bored and have nothing else to do. Tiffany says that this game helps pass the time really well and you can keep playing it because you can always change the subject. In this case, it was movies, but one can change it to fruits, books, television shows, or any other category.

Tiffany is not sure where this game came from or who made it up. She thinks that it originated from a girl who was incredibly bored and just decided to make sounds with her hands and legs. It is an easy game to learn and remember and so that is why it has been passed down on the playground for many, many years. She played it when she was in elementary school and she knows of younger girls who also play the game now.

I agree with Tiffany and believe that this game is relatively easy for elementary school students to play. During recess, everyone has about thirty minutes to play outside. Most boys probably do sports and are on the field. However, girls who do not want to run around do not have much to do. These games then come in handy for any girl that just wants to sit and do something with her friends. Since elementary school students might not know a whole lot about the world, the subjects of these games are usually simple. Children most likely will not start using political issues as the main subject because they do not know much about it. The concentration game probably works best with easy topics such as colors or vegetables because it is common knowledge and everyone can join in. This game does not have any meaning behind it because most children at that age do not think deeply about issues, especially during their breaks. They resort to an easy-going, mindless game.