Sock

What it is: One of those invade-your-personal-space group games that leaves you laughing in the end.

Best for: About 9 players.

What you need: A pair of longer-than-ankle socks that you don’t particularly care about, because they’ll probably get a little stretched out. And a room with enough space for everyone to sit in a circle on the floor.

How to play: First, get ready by taking the pair of socks, wadding one sock into a ball, and stuffing it into the toe of the other sock. Then pick one person to be It (let’s say it’s Tom). Next, have everyone else form a circle by sitting on the floor with their legs bent in front of them, feet flat on the ground, knees up. The circle should be tight enough that everyone is shoulder-to-shoulder with the person next to them.

The person who’s It, Tom, kneels or squats in the middle of the circle. Everyone in the circle puts their hands under their legs so Tom can’t see them. To start the game, someone in the circle starts out with the sock. The point of the game is to pass the sock from person to person, under everyone’s legs, without Tom seeing (or at least grabbing) the sock. If he sees or suspects he sees it, he makes a grab for it. If Jill has the sock and is trying to pass it off to Melissa, but Tom sees and grabs it from Jill first, that means Jill is the new It.

Strategies: If Tom is It and in the middle of the circle and his back is turned to you, and you have the sock, you can get daring and pull it out and bop Tom with it (the sock is the perfect shape for that). Then you’ve got to move quick to pass the sock on before Tom grabs it. But it makes the game more fun (or mean, I guess).