I am delighted to introduce you all to two books that are games! You’re Pulling My Leg! and You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior!
Taking into consideration quarantine life this game can be played in person or virtually! This was the inspiration for this game going from being a tabletop game to a book that lends itself to connecting from a distance. I am really enjoying seeing things adapt to our new way of life because goodness knows this is all far from over.
How to play You’re Pulling My Leg Junior:
To play this game, players choose a question from the card pages in the book. The secret flip of the coin tells them if their answer should be true or pretend. When players hear a story, they vote points on if they think a player is telling the truth or pulling their leg. Everyone starts with 7 points and can bet 1-3 points. Players win points if you’re right but lose them if you’re wrong. Players try to bluff others and try not to let other players fool them. The first player to 21 points wins.
Family review of You’re Pulling My Leg Junior
I was gifted You’re Pulling My Leg Junior in order to offer a review. My family really enjoys reviewing games! My family fathered around our kitchen table to play. We used a coin, a single piece of paper and a pen. Husband kept track of everyones points. He and I played with some of our children ages 14, 12, 10, and our 5 year old also chimed in. We made our own rule to help keep track of guesses and points:
– Right hand is used if you think it is true, and left hand if you think it is not.
– Hold out the number of fingers on that hand to bet points, placing that hand on the table.
We passed the coin around but I read the questions to whom ever was the person answering.
This game is delightful and has questions I would not have thought of. While our 5 year old did not tell stories she was happy to sit and listen and wants to play again, all the kids do!
What our children think of You’re Pulling My Leg Junior:
Our 12 year old daughter is rather shy and reluctant to lie, she struggled a bit. I kept reminding the kids that pretending is ok!
Our 10 year old daughter struggled differently, there were actual tears as she thought she could not do it correctly as everyone knows her whole life. She felt like it was a bit unfair as others playing at the table had years of experiences without her even being alive yet. This is valid. We all chimed in with ideas about things we don’t know about her and areas of her life some of us are not much a part of that she does have experience with, like some of the online communities she plays with.
Our son who is 14 really liked this game and is eager to pour over all the questions. He likes the challenge for sure.
Considerations for when games require lying
As a mother I kind of worried that this game might promote lying. This is something my kids do not do often. You’re Pulling My Leg basically promotes making up stories and not getting caught. It is a deception, though an innocent one. As someone who loves to write fiction I know I struggle with lying. I do not like to do it and I am not very good at it. It is a skill I need to actually get comfortable with. In the end, I am not sure how I feel about this aspect of the game. I do instead like calling it pretend play. I keep reminding the kids that is about stories and creating stories is a good skill to have.
You’re Pulling My Leg includes homeschoolers!
Something I very much love about the book is that it includes Homeschoolers and not just school kids in questions. This is inclusive and I am thankful. I suppose a positive from this year is that homeschooling has become more mainstream!
In the end, all the kids begged to play more, they all think this would be perfect for tea time along with poetry time. I agree!
If you are playing with older kids and younger kids be warned, unplanned conversations can come up! One of the questions was “Something I used to believe but don’t anymore” and my son mentioned Santa… in front of his 5 year old little sister. That was not a little fire we had planned on putting out just then, we managed. Our son felt rather bad though. To be fair, the book says for ages 9 and up!
You can find Morning Star Games on Instagram Facebook and Twitter! Of course, you can also explore all their games on their website: morningstargames.com
This looks interesting! I understand the worry about teaching children to lie, but it really is a good skill to have. My 12 year old is a writer as well and needs to be able to come up with stories that feel true, but aren’t. There are also times when one may feel the need to lie in order to protect their own emotional/ mental health without hurting someone else. A lie allows that. I think as long as we teach them that lying in general isn’t always the answer, and to only use it when appropriate, it’s ok. All that to say I will be picking up this game for Christmas. It sounds fun!
Those are awesome points, thank you so much!
I am always looking for games that promote an aspect of education. My 13 yr old son hates writing and making up stories. He does love playing games with the family. I feel like this game would be perfect to bring his imagination out loud without calling it school work. Thanks for the review.
I think this would be perfect as there is no writing (though there is room in the books pages to write down any memorable stories if you want!)