Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Play the traditional version
• Method 2 of 4: Learning Variations for Adults
• Method 3 of 4: Teaching children with adaptations
• Method 4 of 4: Discover regional and international versions
• Tips

Laying a handkerchief is a game that has been played in the Netherlands for generations by young children at school, parties and at home. But it is not a game limited to the Netherlands, and over the years more and more adults have started playing their own variations. Here you will learn the traditional version (Duck, duck, goose in English), as played in much of the US, as well as how it is played elsewhere in the world. In addition, you will discover some variations for both adults and educational purposes.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Play the traditional version

1. Sit in a circle. Gather at least four people, and have everyone sit cross-legged on the floor in a circle. Two of the advantages of the game are that it can be played indoors or out, and you only need players and no equipment. The size of the circle that forms depends on two factors: a) the number of players and b) how far apart the players are.
   • The bigger the circle, the further players have to run.
   • When 2,145 students in a Missouri District school broke the Guinness World Record in 2011 for the largest handkerchief game laying, they had to form a huge circle outside the gated perimeter of their football stadium.
2. Decide who will be the declarant first. The declarant (sometimes referred to as the "chooser" or "fox") is the person who says "duck, duck, goose" and chooses who will be the player who will try to tag him or her. Since children often don't want to be the declarant, they can first play rock, paper, scissors to decide. Or, if a parent or teacher supervises the game, he or she can choose the kids.
3. Walk around the circle while tapping heads. The person who is the declarant starts and walks around the circle and pats each player's head, saying "duck" or "goose". Usually, the player will say "duck" several times before someone is chosen by saying "goose". This creates both tension and surprise for everyone in the circle, as they will wonder who will be the "goose".
   • Since this is what most people will do, saying "goose" can introduce an unexpected element to the second or third person and give the declarant an advantage.
4. Pick a "goose" and run away. At a time of his or her choice, the declarant will tap a player on the head and say "all". The declarant then runs around the circle, and the goose jumps up and chases after the declarant. The goal of the goose is to tap the handler before it is able to sit on the goose's spot.
   • If the declarant manages to reach the seat of the goose without being tapped, the goose becomes the declarant.
   • If the goose manages to tap the declarant earlier, the declarant remains the same and a new round begins.
   • A variation that is often played is called 'mushpot' and goes like this: when the goose taps the declarant, the goose becomes the declarant and the previous declarer must sit out the game in the center of the circle, until another player is tapped and they change places.

Method 2 of 4: Learning Variations for Adults

1. Try the game in the extreme, or boot camp, variety. Gather a fairly large number of people and form a circle, with each person facing out and about five feet apart, jogging in place. The youngest person becomes the declarant and jogs around the circle clockwise, tapping or pointing at each person, duck or goose saying. If someone is designated as a duck, he or she must do a squat or a push-up. If someone is designated as a goose, he or she must chase after the declarant, counterclockwise. When they meet, they try to block each other, slowing the other down to gain an advantage in the race towards the empty geese spot.
   • If the declarant arrives first, the goose becomes the declarant; if the goose returns first, the same person remains the declarant.
   • The degree of physical contact during blocking, such as grappling and grappling, is up to the group.
   • Here's a twist: While the principal and goose run and block, any player in the circle can get up and move to the goose's empty space several times to make the round longer.
2. Lay a tissue in the pool. This variation of the game is not only fun, but also a great way to train and work on your swimming technique. Gather some friends to go for a swim. Step into the water and form a circle outwards, with each person treading water. Choose a trigger and swim stroke - freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly. The principal swims around the circle using the chosen stroke and taps each player as "fish" or "shark". The person designated as a shark swims after the declarant with the same stroke.
   • If the declarant returns to the shark's first spot, the shark becomes the declarant.
   • If the shark manages to tap the trigger, the trigger should move to the center of the circle and do somersaults in the water, or tread water with a diving brick until another person is touched.
3. Make couples to sing and dance. This version of tissue laying is fun for all kinds of gatherings and parties. Collect an even, not odd, number of at least 8-10 people, keeping two people apart. The rest form an inward-looking circle and hold each other's hands. The people outside the circle are the declarants and also hold each other's hands. They walk around the circle and with those hands tap the clasped hands of each couple, like "duck" or "goose". The two people designated as goose must then run in the opposite direction without letting go of each other, trying to be faster than the other pair and return to the goose spot.
   • If the reporters return first, the geese become the reporters.
   • When the geese arrive first, the declarants go to the center of the circle and have to put on a show. They should either sing a song or dance together and wait in the circle for another pair of geese to be tapped.
   • If you have a karaoke machine, you can take it with you to let the geese sing along to a song.
   • You can also have them sing and do the dance moves of classic children's songs, such as "I'm a Little Teapot", "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes".
   • Other possibilities include the Macarena, the Gangnam Style, twerking, line dancing, the twist, the mashed potato, the waltz, the tango, etc.

Method 3 of 4: Teaching children with adaptations

1. Learn English while playing. For young children in the Netherlands whose native language is not English, going to school can be frustrating. Here's a way to make the transition more fun and learn Dutch at the same time. Have the students sit in a circle, facing inward. The teacher then visits the circle, patting each student on the head and using Dutch words, such as "duck, duck, elf". When "eleven" is called, that student has to chase after the teacher. When tapped, the teacher continues. If not, the student becomes the declarant and can practice his or her pronunciation.
   • Using words like these, children learn to recognize the difference between similar sounds such as "ee" in duck and "e" in eleven.
2. Learn about animals with "Hoot and hop". Before you start, the teacher should tell students about different animals, including how they sound and how they move. Then have the students sit in a circle towards each other. Choose a child as the reporter, except in this case the reporter is a duck who quacks and flaps its wings as he walks around the circle, tapping each child on the head and saying "duck." The duck will then choose another pupil, who will tap his or her head and say the name of another animal. That child will then jump up and chase the duck, making the sounds and movements of the animal that he or she is supposed to represent.
   • If the duck is tapped before reaching the place of the new animal, the duck must sit in the center of the circle until a new animal has been tapped.
   • If the duck is not tapped, the new animal continues to walk around the circle, tapping the heads of the other children and saying the name of its animal, until he selects a player, taps his or her head and names a new animal name, which starts another chase.
   • This variation is great in that it combines drama and expression with and learning.
3. Learn shapes, colors, numbers and themes. Using tape or chalk - depending on whether you're playing indoors or out - ask students to help create a large circle (it's also a trick to keep kids in the area you want them to be). As you do that, cover a topic or area they have learned about. The children sit in a circle towards each other, choose a child as the reporter, and use the subject as the basis for the words the reporter will say while tapping the heads. For example, if you have dealt with shapes, the declarant may say "square, square, rectangle". The declarant will walk around the circle, tap heads and say "square" until he finally says "rectangle". When rectangle is summoned, that child has to chase the declarant.
   • As with the handkerchief, if the declarant is the first to reach the empty spot, the rectangle becomes the declarant; if not, the declarant remains the same.
   • This can be changed for the seasons of the year, features of plants and trees, parts of the body, the colors, the elements of writing, math, etc.
   • For example, if students are learning to count, write a number on a piece of paper and place it in the center of the circle. Have the principal walk around the circle and tap each child's head, counting up until the number is called. When this is the case, that child will chase the declarant. This is also possible with counting in pairs, fives, etc.

Method 4 of 4: Discover regional and international versions

1. Play the version as played in Minnesota. Minnesota residents often claim that the rest of the US is playing the game all wrong, and that "Duck, duck, gray duck" is the original.Whether this is the case or not has yet to be definitively answered. But here's how it works. As with the "traditional" version, players sit in a circle towards each other. The principal walks around the circle, tapping each player on his or her head. Only in the Minnesota version do you not just say "duck", but color the duck. So the declarant could say "red duck", "blue duck", "green duck", etc., in any order. When "gray duck" passes by, the hunt begins.
   • This is just like the traditional game: if the declarant reaches the gray duck's spot first, the gray duck becomes the declarant. If not, the declarant must choose again.
   • Some feel that this version is more difficult because the players in the circle should listen carefully to what is called - "green duck" and "gray duck" are more alike than "duck" and "goose", for example.
   • In addition, children like to keep the tension going by stretching the "grrr" sound to leave players in the dark about whether to say green or gray.
2. Learn how to lay the Chinese version of tissue, 丢手绢. This involves the children squatting in a circle and looking at the center, while the declarant, or the "postman", holds a tissue or something else. The children begin to sing as the principal goes around the circle, placing the handkerchief behind a player's back. The singing continues as usual. When the child with the napkin behind him or her realizes this, he chases the postman.
   • When the child touches the postman, the postman sits in the center of the circle and has to do something, such as tell a joke, dance, or sing a song; if the player fails to catch the postman, he becomes the postman himself.
   • If the postman can walk all the way around the circle before the other child notices the tissue, sit in the center until he or she is freed.
   • The lyrics of the song: "Lay down, put down the handkerchief / Hush behind your friend's back / Everyone is silent / Quick, quick, get it!" Repeat.
3. Do the German version, "Der Plumpsack geht um", or "The cop does his rounds. The children sit in a circle, with one designated as the Plumpsack (Swiss for policeman). The Plumpsack holds a handkerchief and walks around the circle while the children sing a song. The Plumpsack then drops the handkerchief behind one of the kids' back while they continue to sing. In this variant, each child who looks back without the handkerchief there, has to sit in the center of the circle. When the child does that well has the handkerchief behind his or her back that notices, the hunt begins.
   • If the Plumpsack returns to the spot first, the other child becomes the Plumpsack.
   • If the Plumpsack is tapped, he or she must go to the center of the circle and all the children sing, "One, two, three, into the rotten egg!"
   • If the Plumpsack can walk around the full circle without the child noticing the handkerchief, that child should go to the center of the circle and the children sing again, "One, two, three, into the rotten egg!"
   • The lyrics of the song: "Don't turn around / Because the Plumpsack is doing its rounds! / Who turns and laughs / Is hit on the back. / So: don't turn around ". And repeat.
   • There are similar variations across Europe and parts of Asia and the Middle East, although the songs differ in context.

Tips

• Strategically, the game is in favor of the declarant, postman, agent, etc. to choose a player in the circle who cannot run as fast, so that the declarant can get to the empty spot first.
• A nice twist on a hot summer day: instead of tapping each player on the head, give the declarant a bucket of water to drip on each player before emptying the entire bucket over the head of the person he chooses as Goose.
• You can also vary the more traditional versions by moving in different ways, such as running, jumping, hopping, or crawling, instead of walking around the circle.
• If you are having a party and want to play the game, you can change the words to be more in line with the party theme. For example: "Pirate, Pirate, Captain" or "Fairy, Fairy, Witch".
• Be creative and make up your own versions!
• Play where you have plenty of space.
• If you are a parent or teacher and see a person being chosen as a goose very often, you may need to intervene.