Caio Amici!
G my name is Grazia
I live in Genoa, Italy
My friend’s name is Guido
We like to play Regina Regina Bella
We speak Italian
And now we’ll say “Addio!”
Regina, Regina Bella 
This game requires a minimum of 4 players minimum, although more is better. One player is chosen to be the “Regina” (“Queen”), who stands facing the others across the playground. The other children chant:
“Regina Regina bella,
quanti passi devo fare per arrivare al tuo castello
con la fede, con l’anello, con la punta del coltello?”
(“Beautiful, beautiful Queen, how many steps do I have to take to get to your castle with the faith, with the ring, with the tip of the knife?”)
The Queen then calls out both a number and the name of an animal. The children must take that many steps toward her, walking in imitation of the animal named. The first child to reach the queen wins.
References
Welcome to my 2019 Blogging A-Z Challenge. Each day in the the month of April (except Sundays), I will bring you a memory of games and a jump rope song. It is similar to the classic A My Name Is… Do you recognize the chant? A world of children will greet their friends and skip through the alphabet alliterating their name, a friend’s name, and their home city. They will also state their country, the language they speak, and their favorite game. Descriptions of the games are included. I chose games that are played on playgrounds or streets where children negotiate their teams and terms. You may recognize your favorite games that differ only in name. As the alphabet progresses, it becomes apparent that the pursuit of laughter and fun are universal.
Antoinette Truglio Martin is the author of Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer. The memoir is a wimpy patient’s journey through her first year of breast cancer treatment.
What a lovely theme! I certainly didn’t know this game. We have two people over here (or had, he is dead now) called Peter and Iona Opie who are the worlds’s experts on playground rhymes, and nursery rhymes in the UK. I have several books by them. I am a children’s poet. ~Liz http://www.poetryroundabout.com I am linking to one persona day instead of the linky list, you will be linked to on Saturday. http://www.poetryroundabout.com
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Thank you so much!!!
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Ooops, sorry, Monday, you will be linked to on Monday!
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That’s a lovely game, Creative too.
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Ooh, I like that game. Having to walk like an animal really kicks it up to the next level!
Black and White: G is for Gnome
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Well, I thought the last game reminded me of “Mr. Wolf” but this one is essentially the same game with a different name and calling to the queen instead of Mr. Wolf. So interesting!
G – Galao: https://writingiscommunication.wordpress.com/2019/04/08/galao/#comment-2515
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It is inspiring to k ow that children play the same. They negotiate, cooperate, and have fun. How did we as adults loose that part of us?
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It is nice to know for sure, and clearly there is something we as adults can learn from those tiny people.
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This is my kind of game. I wonder what it would be like if people played it in the distant future. *hmm* – Dragons & Spaceships
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