Explore Memory Pathways

What You Need:

• 3 or more players
• Sidewalk chalk
• Writing materials such as a clipboard, pencil, and paper or dry erase board and pen
• Flat area

What You Do:

1. Have your child draw circles on the ground with the sidewalk chalk in a grid formation, with the circles spaced one foot apart from each other. The circles should be uniform in size and shape.
2. Designate one child as the "clipboard holder." Her job is to copy the circle grid onto the paper or dry erase board, then create a secret path that connects all the circles. She can draw directional arrows onto the grid or number each circle to indicate the path. Only the clipboard holder may view the secret path.
3. Before beginning the game, explain to the other players that the object of the game is to walk the secret path that the clipboard holder has drawn on her paper by stepping on each circle in the correct order.
4. To begin the game, have a player choose a circle to step on. Have the clipboard holder answer "yes" if this is the correct first circle and "no" if it is not. If yes, the player gets to take another step. If no, that player's turn ends and the next player takes a turn choosing a circle.
5. Have the players continue taking turns stepping on circles to try to figure out the secret path. After each step, the clipboard holder should answer "yes" or "no" to tell a player if she is going in the right direction.
6. The round ends when one player successfully walks the secret path from start to finish.
7. Before beginning the second round, designate a new clipboard holder and have her draw a new secret path for the players to find.
8. Continue playing rounds until each player has taken a turn as the clipboard holder.