How to Play the "Going on a Picnic" Memory Game

"Going on a Picnic" is a quick, fun game that you can play at any gathering of people. It does not require a board, or components, or anything to write with. It just involves people taking turns adding to a list of alphabetized words, and trying to remember all the words that they've heard so far. It's especially great to play with kids. This article shows you the steps for playing.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 
    
   I'm bringing apples...

   Players should arrange themselves in somewhat of a circle or such that it will be easy to remember who follows who. Pick someone to be the starting player. That player says, "I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing..." What follows is a word that must begin with the letter A. Traditionally it is something that is associated with picnics, such as apples or apricots.

2. 
    
   I'm bringing bananas...

   The next player says, "I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing..." This is followed by the "A" item stated by the first player, and is followed by a "B" item of the player's choosing. Assuming that everyone will stick to the picnic theme, that player might add bananas or beets.

3. 
    
   She's bringing cantaloupes

   The next player says, "I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing..." This is followed by the "A" item from the first player, the "B" item from the second player, and then a "C" item of his/her choosing, perhaps cantaloupes or crackers.

4. 
    
   He's bringing dates

   Play continues in this manner. If a player gets stuck and can't remember one of the items in the list, that player is typically out of the game, and play passes to the next player. This rule, of course, can be modified for children who can be given hints.

5. 
    
   Q is for quince

   Children, or for that matter anyone may have difficulty with some of the more obscure letters of the alphabet such as Q, X, and Z. Depending on your group, you may want to allow people to just skip over difficult letters, or allow them to break the list's theme that you have decided upon. For example, your group may decide that zebras will attend your picnic, and will dance to music performed by a xylophonist.

6. 
    
   Z is for zucchini

   The game is typically over once Z is reached. A variant is to continue back at A, but choosing different words for each letter than you did the first time around. The challenge would then be to start with the original A-Z list, and then wrap around to the second one, and so forth.

7. 
    
   Bring an armadillo if the theme is animals

   Another variant is to pick a theme other than picnic items. You might still want to say, "I'm going on a picnic..." but it could be established that you will only bring animals, or countries of the world, or famous celebrities, or a category that all player agree upon.

8. 
    
   It's a great game for the classroom

   Teachers who are playing this game in a classroom with their students could of course adapt it to the particular subject matter being taught. As a an example, a science teacher might choose a theme of, "I'm going to the science lab...and I'm bringing acid, beakers, condensation, etc."

9. 
    
   Enjoy your picnic and have fun!

   Be creative, remember to double check your picnic basket, and have fun! ☺

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