Story: Me and my siblings used to play this game when we were little called The Floor is Lava. We would put all of the couch cushions on the floor in the living room, and run and jump from them to the couch to the ottoman, to the chair, and keep doing that until someone touched the floor. If you touched the floor you died, and someone would usually be chasing us- either fictionally or my dad would and we would run and sometimes trip into the lava. It was really fun!

Context: The informant told me this over Zoom, and I recorded it so I could write it down later.

Thoughts: Looking back on it, the informant says that it was a great way to bond with their siblings and father, and that some of their favorite times were just leaping in small circles in their living room. They also said that they have heard a lot of other people played that game as well, and are surprised since they don’t believe they learned it from anyone.

Analysis: I think this game is a really great example of a study I reference in another entry, about children and imaginative play. It is a big help with boosting social awareness, empathy, and creativity. It makes sense that a lot of children would develop a similar game since it also utilizes motor skills, and plays heavily into the countless imagination possibilities for a toddler/younger kid.