New Best Friend

Ages: 4 and up

Indoor or Outdoor: Can be either

Cost: Free!!!

Time: 5-15 minutes, depending on group size

Players: The more the merrier! Should have a minimum of 5ish players.

This game is a fun way for children to find their "new best friend". Great for large groups or as an icebreaker, this activity will help children get to know each other in a fun way and forge new friendships. This game is useful for showing children that they often have more in common with people than they think, but also that they may have more differences from people they know than they had anticipated.

To begin, one child is chosen to find a new best friend. This child is "it". He/she stands facing away from the rest of the group to keep him/her from watching the game's progression. An adult or older child stands next to the "it" child as the game leader. The game leader should keep an eye on the child who is "it", as well as the rest of the players to be sure no one is cheating. The rest of the group stands on their feet facing the game leader.



Throughout the game, the game leader will ask questions of the players such as: "Do you prefer creamy or crunchy peanut butter?" The leader then assigns a number value to each response. For example, creamy peanut butter would be one, and crunchy peanut butter would be two. First, the child who is "it" must choose his/her response, but not tell anyone but the game leader what he/she has chosen. This response is indicated by either one or two fingers being held up, corresponding to the answer chosen. This is hidden from the group, but done within the view of the game leader. In our example, "it" has chosen two fingers, which means crunchy peanut butter.



Once the game leader receives the response of the child who is "it", the rest of the players are asked to hold up their answers. They each hold up either one or two fingers above their head where the game leader can see. As soon as everyone has responded, the child who is "it" is invited to show his/her answer to the group. Without turning around, "it" raises the hand with the number on it above his/her head, showing the group what he/she had chosen.



Upon seeing this, each player who had given the "wrong answer", or a response that is different from the one chosen by the child who is "it", must sit down. They are out. In this case, each child who had responded with one finger, indicating that they prefer creamy peanut butter, is eliminated. The rest of the children remain standing for the next question.

As the game progresses, the number of standing players will be fewer and fewer, eventually narrowing down to one final child. This player wins. Now, the child who was "it" is invited to turn around and meet their "new best friend". As they weren't watching the game progress, they have no idea who it might be and are often very surprised! The two children paired at the end of the game are considered to be the most alike in their interests and preferences and so are supposedly the most suitable to be best friends. While it is not always true that those who are the most alike make the best friends, children with similar interests often get along very well together.

For groups that know each other very well, a variation could be played where the players are told to answer the questions however they think the child who is "it" has. This is a test of how well you know your friends, and can be equally as eye-opening as the the original version of play. An example of a great time to play this variation might be at a birthday party or similar event.

Children adore this game and commonly play it on their own even without an adult around to lead and manage it. If no one wants to be the game leader, often the task of asking the question is passed around a circle of players, leaving the integrity of "its" answer up to faith. The questions are fun to come up with, and children love discovering their new "friends"

Here are some ideas for questions that could be asked:

- Do you prefer pepperoni or cheese pizza? Pepperoni = 1 and Cheese = 2

- Would you rather play football or frisbee? Football = 1 and Frisbee = 2

- Would you rather live in the mountains or by the seashore? Mountains = 1 and Seashore = 2

- Do you like to bake? Yes = 1 and No = 2

- Do you like getting dirty? Yes = 1 and No = 2

- Do you prefer music with words or without? With = 1 and Without = 2

- Do you prefer dogs or cats? Dogs = 1 and Cats = 2

- Would you rather wear shoes or go barefoot? Wear shoes = 1 and Barefoot = 2

- Do you like snakes? Yes = 1 and No = 2

- Do you prefer cake or ice cream? Cake = 1 and Ice cream = 2

- Do you prefer red apples or green apples? Red apples = 1 and Green apples = 2

- Do you play an instrument? Yes = 1 and No = 2

- Have you ever eaten a cricket? Yes = 1 and No = 2

- Would you skydive if you had the chance? Yes = 1 and No = 2

- Do out think it's more fun to have more older siblings or more younger siblings? More older siblings = 1 and more younger siblings = 2

- Do you like to dance? Yes = 1 and No = 2

- Do you prefer sour candy or candy containing chocolate? Sour candy = 1 and Chocolate candy = 2

- Do you prefer colder weather or warmer weather? Cold = 1 and Warm = 2

- Would you rather drink only water or only lemonade for the rest of your life? Only Water = 1 and Only Lemonade = 2

- Would you ever change your name? Yes = 1 and No = 2

- Would you rather live in the busy city or the peaceful countryside? City = 1 and Countryside = 2

- Do you prefer for your hair to be longer or shorter? Longer = 1 and Shorter = 2

#3-5_year_olds
#5-10_year_olds
#10-13_year_olds
#teens
#free
#low_cost
#party_activities

%kidfun