Tag: Mother May I

Mother May I

Vital Ability

Take a twist on an old children’s game and revamp it to enhance some important workplace skills with a group of Teenagers or Adults.

Looking for something fun and interactive to do with your team, workgroup, co-workers, to inspire active listening skills, self-restraint, develop those leadership skills to give instruction, and take on instructions? Looking to participate in some fun healthy competition?

How to play the Mother, May I Game:

  1. Line up each player shoulder to shoulder about a foot apart.
  2. The player who is “Mother” (you can also use Father or Captain in place of Mother) stands in front of the other players.
  3. The “Mother” figure then calls on a person by name and gives them instructions so they can move forward. For instance, “Maxwell, take 2 GIANT steps forward.”
  4. The person who is called on must then say, “Mother, may I?”
  5. The “Mother” then responds either “Yes”, and the person can take the steps forward, or “No” and the person must remain in their place without moving.
  6. If the person makes a move and forgets to ask, “Mother, may I?” then they must go back to the starting line.
  7. If another person takes the steps out of turn, they must also go back to the starting line.
  8. The first person to reach the “Mother” figure, wins!

Twists on the Mother, May I Game: The fun can be ramped up a bit when the person playing the “Mother” role adds their own rules. For example, instead of simple “steps”, “Mother” can ask that the participants waddle, hop, jump or scoot. And all the steps don’t have to be forward – they can be backwards or sideways too, which can help the game last longer.

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