How to play: everyone holds a gift. Read the story out loud. Pass one seat left on every LEFT and one seat right on every RIGHT. When the story ends, keep what you're holding.
On the last day before winter break, Room 12 was having a party. There were cupcakes on the left side of the counter, juice boxes on the right, and a big pile of presents right in the middle of the reading rug. Everybody was excited. Especially Nugget.
Nugget was the class hamster. He lived in a cage on the windowsill, right next to the pencil sharpener, and every morning he ran on his wheel so fast it squeaked. Nobody knew where he thought he was going.
Right when the party started, somebody left Nugget's little door open. Nobody saw it happen. But Nugget saw it. Nugget looked left. Nugget looked right. And Nugget was gone.
"Nugget's out!" yelled Maya. The whole class jumped up. Half of them ran left. Half of them ran right. Two of them bumped into each other right in the middle and sat down on the rug and laughed so hard they forgot what they were doing.
"Everybody freeze!" said Ms. Ortega. Everybody froze. "Table One, look to your left. Table Two, look to your right. Table Three, check the cubbies. Table Four, please stop eating the cupcakes. We are not there yet."
Table One looked left. No Nugget. Table Two looked right. No Nugget. Table Three found one mitten, two library books, and a very old banana, but no Nugget. Table Four said sorry about the cupcakes.
Then Jordan heard something. Crinkle, crinkle. It was coming from the presents. Jordan pointed right at the pile. Everybody tiptoed closer. A present on the left wiggled. A present on the right wiggled. Then a present right in the middle tipped over, and out popped Nugget with a piece of ribbon around his neck like a tiny scarf.
Ms. Ortega scooped him up and put him right back in his cage. Nugget did not look sorry at all. He hopped on his wheel and ran so fast it squeaked, like he had just won something.
Then it was time for the gift game. Everybody sat in a circle. Ms. Ortega read a story, and every time she said left, they passed their present left, and every time she said right, they passed it right. Left. Right. Left, left. Right. Right, right. Nugget watched the whole thing from his wheel.
And when the story was over, everybody got to keep the present in their hands. Even Nugget, who kept the ribbon. Happy winter break, Room 12. The end!
The Classroom Left Right Game · playcouchful.com/left-right-game/story/classroom-left-right/