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You’ll need

• Sturdy chairs, cushions or floor mats1 per player minus 1, reusable
• Music player1 total, reusable

How to play

1. Put the chairs in a ring or a back-to-back row, one fewer than the number of players.
2. Children walk around the chairs while the music plays.
3. When it stops, everyone sits on the nearest free chair; the one left standing is out.
4. Take away one chair and play again until one chair is left.

Who wins

The child on the last chair.

Variations

Cushions on the floor instead of chairs for younger kids; cooperative version where nobody is out and children share seats until they all fit on the last few; "musical hoops" with plastic hoops.

Safety: Adult supervision required. Use stable chairs without wheels, or cushions. Ban pushing and diving; an adult judges ties.