No.234
String Telephone
Japanese name: 糸電話
Materials
- Two paper cups
- About 2 m of cotton string
- Two 4 cm pieces of drinking straw
- Tape
- A hole-making tool for an adult to use
How to play
- An adult makes a small hole in the base of each cup. Pass one end of the string through each hole from outside, then tie it around a short straw piece inside so it cannot pull through.
- Each person chooses a cup and writes their name on it. Move apart slowly until the string is taut. Never wrap it around a neck or body.
- The speaker says a short word or phrase into their cup while the listener holds their own cup to an ear. Listen without touching the string between the cups.
- Repeat what you heard, then swap roles. Take turns testing whether a quiet voice carries and what changes when the string is slightly slack.
- Finish by asking one another a question each, such as a favourite animal. Wind up the string with an adult and put the cups away together.
Ways to adapt
Preschool children: talk with an adult. Younger primary school children: swap roles. Older primary school children: compare string materials.