Now that it’s spring
and the kids are outside, it’s a great time to get out those
circle games! Teach children the song and then play the game. Of
course it can also be played year-round inside. Just be sure you
have enough room for running around the circle!
Charlie Over
the Ocean
Charlie over the ocean,
Charlie over the sea
Charlie catch a blackbird but
you can’t catch me!
Game Directions:
Children sit in a circle. One child is “Charlie,” and he or she
walks around the outside of the circle while everyone sings and
claps to the beat. When the last word is sung (“me”), Charlie
taps the closest child on the head and runs. The child who is
tapped on the had tries to catch him before he gets to his open
spot. That child then becomes Charlie, and you can repeat it
until all children have had a turn.
If you know the popular game, “Duck,
Duck, Goose,” this is similar except “Charlie” doesn’t tap a
child on the head until the end of the song.
NOTE: The recorded version is
sung twice so you can learn the melody. But when playing the
game, it is only sung once before a child is tapped on the head.
|