Do You Love Your Neighbour?

An active icebreaker circle no prep game


How To Play Do You Love Your Neighbour?

Materials Needed

Chairs

Get all the players to sit in a circle, except for one person who must stand in the middle of the circle. The aim of the game is to not miss out on a seat and get stuck in the middle.

The person in the middle of the circle (we'll refer to them as "the it player" from now on) starts by asking someone sitting down the question, "Do you love your neighbour?"

The player who is asked the question can answer in two ways:

1. "Yes" - this means that the players sitting to the left and right of them must get up and switch seats.

2. "No but I love people who ____" - this means that all players who fit into the description (ie. people who are weaing a hat, people who like icecream etc.) must get up from their seat and move into another seat.

In both scenarios, the it player will try to sit in an empty seat before the other players can. The it player simply needs to try and get into a seat while the other players are switching their seats. Of course, someone will inevitably be left without a seat and will now become the new it person. They will then ask the next person the question and the game continues.

Optional:
This can be turned into an elimination game in which the person in the middle is asked the question, and answers thinking of their last neighbour before stepping out of the circle.

Themes

Love your neighbour

Variants

Added by
julie
on 14 January 2009


22 Comments

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We play a game like this but its called fruit basket turnover everyone is either a banana Orange apple and the person calls out a fruit or say fruit basket turnover and everyone has to find a different place to sit but cannot sit directly beside them

Posted by Sarah 4 years ago

I've done this by having someone stand in the middle and say a fact about themselves or something positive "I have siblings" or "I think its a beautiful day." If the statement applies to someone in the circle they have to find another spot. If it only applies to one person they become the middle. I thought the way was introduced to it was cool.

Posted by Ashley 4 years ago

Perhaps ,instead if saying "expect the one who ..." the person in the middle can say " I love the neighbors who is wear jeans, sandals, glasses etc.

Posted by LIDIA 7 years ago

Thank you for this game! It was excellent and the students enjoyed it thoroughly.

Posted by Daniel Spencer 10 years ago

I THINK THIS IS A PRETTY COOLGAME TO PLAY BUT HOW DO YOU KEEP THE FUN GOIN IF ONE DOES NOT LIKR THEIR NEIBHOUR?

Posted by MANOKO 11 years ago

ITS ILIKE IT BETTER LIKE THIS..ITS FRIUTS BASKET EVERYONE ONE HAS A FRUIT YOU PICK AT LEAST 4 FRUITS AND THEN THE PERSON IN THE MIDDLE SAYS HAVE THE APPLES MOVE...SO EVERYONE THATS AN APPLE MOVES ECT. AND WHEN THE CALL THE ENTIRE BACKET EVERYONE ,MOVES TO ANOTHER SEAI

Posted by AL 12 years ago

This looks like a popular game with lots of room for variation.
We have a version called "I have never..." where the person in the middle says "I have never skiied" (for example) and all those who HAVE skiied have to change seats. It can be a great game at the beginning of the year when kids are getting to know each other. Now that I have read your other variations we might be able to spread the fun through the whole year :0) Thanks.

Posted by Sian 12 years ago

We played it and it was called: I like people.
The chairs were set up in a circle and there was one person in the middle and the person in the middle would say..."I like people but I especially like people with: ...." and then who ever had the "with" called could get up and find a new chair and the person left in the middle had to go again. It works awesome with large groups and is actually a lot of fun.

Posted by Robert 13 years ago

We played a similar game called "The Sun Shines" and the person in the middle will say..."The Sun Shines on anyone who is wearing jeans, or brushed their teeth this morning, etc. Students will get up and move to another seat that's not the adjacent seat to their left or right. The person without a seat would stand in the middle and give their name. Everyone would tap their thighs twice, clap their hands twice, snap their fingers twice and point to the person in the middle and say his/her name. A great way to try and remember everyone's name. The kids love it, even try to be in the middle. Always try to have someone new in the middle. If a person is in the middle again, they can pick someone who hasn't been in the middle. Once everyone has a turn to be in the middle, they continue until they're done playing.

Posted by Vili 13 years ago

This game is exactly like "upset the apple cart" which is when everyone but one person sits in a circle (in chairs). The one in the middle (unlike the whole "do you love me" kind of idea) just says something like "My name is Lauren and I have a big brother" and then everyone who also has a big brother gets up, runs to a new set (not the one they were in or the one next to it), including the person who was in the middle and the last one with out a seat is "it" and then says something like "I'm Bob and I have on jeans" and the games keeps going. If someone who's out says their name but then says "upset the apple cart" instead of a quality about themselves, then everyone has to get up and run to a new seat.

Posted by Lauren 13 years ago

Yea Malory your way sounds much better.

Posted by Lovely 13 years ago

Malory, I like the way you play it. Think we will give it a try at youth group this week. I too worry the other way would hurt feelings, that is the last thing we want to do! :D

Posted by Debbie 14 years ago

I lead a youth group for high school and Junior high school. We do play it a little differently; we have a group of kids in a circle and have one person in the middle. The person in the middle walks up to one person and says do you love you neighbor and if they say yes, they say "except for the people who have brown hair" or "except for the people who have jeans on" or "except for the people who have a certain quality or thing. Then the people with that quality have to get up and find a new seat while the person in the middle tries to steal their seat. The person who doesn't get a seat is the one in the middle. If the person says no then the two people on either side of them have to switch seats while the person in the middle try and steal their seat. Another rule we had is you can't single people out, like you can't say "Yes except for anyone who has the name that starts with a M and ends with a alory." The kids seem to single out their friends. We played this with a group of 30 or 40 people and they had a lot of fun. It was CRAZY!!

Posted by malory 14 years ago

This is a really fun game but we play it a little different.

Posted by Malory 14 years ago

im sorry but i think i missed something..! what happens when the starter says " yes but i also love the blond person..(4 example)"??? do u mean that it's the blond girl's turn now?? and are ALL the players the ASKERs?!?!

Posted by annie 14 years ago

im sorry but i think i missed something..! what happens when the starter says " yes but i also love the blond person..(4 example)"??? do u mean that it's the blond girl's turn now?? and are ALL the players the ASKERs?!?!

Posted by annie 14 years ago

The kids loved this one, but we did break a chair! Our kids understood that we aren't really commenting about our neighbor, it's just a reason to involve everyone.

Posted by Lois Howell, Honduras 14 years ago

This doesn't make any sense at all! And it seems a little mean.

Posted by anna 14 years ago

this sounds like a good game, except I don't really understand it.

Posted by Jasmine 14 years ago

I think I'd feel rejected if someone said ' No, I do not' when they're asked about me.

Posted by emily 14 years ago

I have played this before with the kids at our church & they love it!

Posted by Ami 14 years ago

do you find any hostility or resentment arrising from this game?

Posted by melissa 15 years ago
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