Do You Love Your Neighbour?

Action games Icebreaker games Circle games

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How To Play Do You Love Your Neighbour?

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.

Materials Needed

Chairs

Themes

Love your neighbour

Submitted by julie on 14 Jan 2009 12:00:00

Has this game been helpful?

20 Comments Add a comment »

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

Posted by melissa on 10 Feb 2009 at 9:18:02

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

Posted by Ami on 31 Mar 2009 at 5:28:04

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

Posted by emily on 30 May 2009 at 3:41:38

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

Posted by Jasmine on 25 Jun 2009 at 11:44:08

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

Posted by anna on 11 Jul 2009 at 4:18:37

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 on 17 Jul 2009 at 3:37:31

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 on 14 Sep 2009 at 8:04:20

Posted by annie on 14 Sep 2009 at 8:04:22

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

Posted by Malory on 25 Oct 2009 at 1:46:40

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 on 25 Oct 2009 at 2:03:50

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 on 27 Oct 2009 at 3:20:30

Yea Malory your way sounds much better.

Posted by Lovely on 1 Apr 2010 at 6:42:51

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 on 26 May 2010 at 1:40:27

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 on 29 May 2010 at 11:55:57

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 on 12 Jan 2011 at 2:37:12

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 on 15 May 2011 at 2:46:58

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 on 8 Jul 2011 at 4:10:16

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 on 25 Apr 2012 at 5:26:45

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

Posted by Daniel Spencer on 10 Jun 2013 at 12:40:52

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 on 20 Feb 2017 at 8:12:01

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