easurably for the uplift of the community.

[Sidenote: Evolution of play interests]

The natural interests of a normal child lead him to care for different
types of games at different periods of his development. In other
words, his own powers, in their natural evolution, seek instinctively
the elements in play that will contribute to their own growth. When
games are studied from this viewpoint of the child's interests, they
are found to fall into groups having pronounced characteristics at
different age periods.

[Sidenote: Games for various ages]

Thus, the little child of six years enjoys particularly games in which
there is much repetition, as in most of the singing games; games
involving impersonation, appealing to his imagination and dramatic
sense, as where he becomes a mouse, a fox, a sheepfold, a farmer,
etc.; or games of simple chase (one chaser for one runner) as
distinguished from the group-chasing of a few years later. His games
are of short duration, reaching their climax quickly and making but
slight demand on powers of attention and physical endurance; they
require but little skill and have very few, if any, rules, besides the
mere question of "taking turns." In short, they are the games suited
to undeveloped powers in almost every particular but that of
imagination.

Two or three years later these games are apt to seem "babyish" to a
child and to lose interest for him. His games then work through a
longer evolution before reaching their climax, as where an entire
group of players instead of one has to be caught before the game is
won, as in Red Lion, Pom Pom Pullaway, etc. He can watch more points
of interest at once than formerly, and choose between several
different possible modes of play, as in Prisoners' Base. He gives
"dares," runs risks of being caught, and exercises his courage in many
ways. He uses individual initiative instead of merely playing in his
turn. This is the age of "nominies," in which the individual player
hurls defiance at his opponents with set formulas, usually in rhyme.
Players at this time band together in many of their games in opposing
groups, "choosing sides"--the first simple beginning of team play.
Neuro-muscular skill increases, as shown in ball play and in agile
dodging. Endurance for running is greater.

When a child is about eleven or twelve years of age, some of these
characteristics decline and others equally pronounced take their
place. "Nominies" disappear a