If you are looking for a fun guessing game which also includes a song, this game is perfect for you.

What do you need?

For the doggy’s bone, you can just use about everything. It could be a block, a yogurt pot, a button and so on. You see that you really do not need any special things for this game. Because of that it is possible to play it spontaneously, when you have gathered your friends around you. What is also great is that it can also be played inside in case of bad weather.

Who plays?

This is a good activity for ages 2 thru 6. You should gather a big group of, then the game is more fun. But you can probably play it with 5 people and more.

The chant

Doggy, Doggy, where’s your bone?

Somebody stole it from your home.

Guess who! Maybe you…

Maybe the monkeys from the zoo.

Wake up doggy, find your bone.

(It doesn’t really have a rhythm)

How to play “Doggy, Doggy, where is your bone”?

The game is quite simple. The children are seated in a circle with one child in the middle. The one in the middle is the “doggy” who has to find his bone. He closes his eyes. Whatever you have chosen to be your bone gets passed around in the circle. All sing the song together and one child decides to keep the bone and hides it behind his back. As soon as the song is over, everyone has to put their hands behind their back. The child in the middle can now open his eyes and gets around 1-3 guesses to guess who has their bone. Whether they guess correctly or not, the child with the bone becomes the new middle or doggy person, and the middle child gets to hand out the bone. The game repeats until all have had a turn.

Variations

Using a bell or a bunch of keys as the bone is also an option, so that children learn to listen for the direction of sound. This way the game gets easier and is less frustrating, especially when playing it with younger children. Of course, you can also give hints to the “doggy”, who might have stolen their bone.If it does not work for you that the children decide themselves who gets to keep the bone,you can also choose a leader or the teacher who picks who gets the bone. About the chant: feel free to change “Doggy Doggy” to “clifford, clifford”, “scooby, scooby”, etc.