How To: Play Hot and Cold

Looking for a fun, educational game to play with your children? How about a game of "Hot & Cold"? Played indoors or out, this game helps children refine their listening skills and learn the idea of opposites.

You Will Need:
• Two or more players
• A small object or prize

Step 1: Choose a Hunter
Choose one player to be the Hunter, and have them leave the room or move away from the group.

Step 2: Hide a small object
Hide a small object or prize somewhere in the space where you are playing.

Step 3: Bring the Hunter back, and have them look for the object
Bring the Hunter back into the playing space, and have them look for the hidden object by moving around the area.

Step 4: Say "colder" when the Hunter is far from the object
Indicate to the Hunter that they are moving away from the hidden object by saying "colder." If they keep moving in the wrong direction, words that indicate degrees of cold, such as "freezing" or "icy."

Step 5: Say "hotter" when the Hunter is close to the object
Tell the Hunter that they are getting closer to the hidden object by saying "hotter." As they move closer, say "burning" or "scorching."

Step 6: End the game when the Hunter finds the object
Continue giving clues until the Hunter finds the hidden object. Keep playing the game until all of the players get a chance to hunt.

Trivia: The coldest temperature ever recorded was negative 129 degrees Fahrenheit in Antarctica in 1983. The hottest was 136, recorded in the Libyan desert in 1922.