Follow What I Say, Not What I Do

How to Play

1. One person is the leader.

2. The leader SAYS a movement (e.g., “Touch your head”) but SHOWS a different movement (e.g., they touch their knee).

3. Everyone else must follow what the leader SAYS, not what the leader shows.

4. Anyone who copies the leader’s action instead of the spoken instruction is eliminated.

5. The last person remaining wins and becomes the next leader.

Simple Actions

• Touch your head

• Touch your toes

• Touch your shoulders

• Clap your hands

• Jump once

• Spin around

• Stomp your foot

• Bend your knees

• Wave your hand

• Sit down

• Stand up

• Put your hands on your hips

More Active / Fun Actions

• Do a jumping jack

• Hop on one foot

• Pretend to swim

• Do a karate chop

• Pretend to throw a ball

• March in place

• Pretend to lift something heavy

• Wiggle your fingers

• Do a superhero pose

Silly / High-energy Actions

• Act like a chicken

• Pretend to be a robot

• Stick your tongue out

• Spin like a ballerina

• Make a funny face

• Shake your whole body

• Pretend to ride a horse

• Crawl like a cat

Good mismatches to trick players

These are especially effective because the action you show can easily mislead people:

• Say: “Touch your head” — Show: touch your toes

• Say: “Clap your hands” — Show: wave

• Say: “Jump” — Show: bend down

• Say: “Sit” — Show: stand tall

• Say: “Spin around” — Show: stomp your foot

• Say: “Touch your knees” — Show: touch your shoulders

🎄 Christmas Actions (What the Leader Says)

• Ring a jingle bell

• Decorate the tree

• Wrap a present

• Put a star on top of the tree

• Pretend to sled downhill

• Pretend to throw a snowball

• Make a snow angel

• Drink hot cocoa

• Eat a candy cane

• Light a candle

• Pull a Christmas cracker

• Hang an ornament

• Open a present

• Pretend to be a reindeer

• Pretend to shovel snow