No.288
Ampe
Japanese name: アンペ
Materials
- None; optional coloured markers for left and right ankles
How to play
- Choose a leader. The others form a semicircle. The leader faces the person at one end, leaving enough space to keep their feet from colliding.
- The pair clap together and make a small jump on the spot. On the next beat, jump again and land with either the right or left foot slightly forward.
- Use this version: different feet earn the leader one point; matching feet make the challenger the new leader. Compare each person’s own right or left foot, not the mirror-image position.
- A winning leader plays the next person in the semicircle. A new leader also starts with the person at the next position. If landings are not simultaneous, replay without scoring.
- Continue until everyone has been leader, then compare total points. If necessary, agree before starting to rotate the leader after three wins so nobody waits too long.
Ways to adapt
Preschool: with a caregiver, clap and show a foot without jumping. Younger primary: use coloured left/right markers. Older primary: rotate leaders around the semicircle.