How to Play
Down by the Banks
Everyone should form a circle and put their hands out so their right hand is resting open on top of the adjacent player’s left hand.
Select one player to sing in a steady rhythm the song, “Down by the Banks.”
The game begins with the singer simultaneously starting the song and tapping the right hand of the player to his or her left.
“Down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bull frogs jump from bank to banky, say fee, fye, fo, fum, me-say, me-say, ding, dang, dong.” *While the first two lines never change, the final line of the song varies by region.
“Down-”
The tapping continues time with the singer’s p
around the circle in pace.
The last player whose hand is touched when the song ends is out.
A player may jerk his or her hand away to avoid getting tagged out. In this case, the player who failed to touch that player’s hand before the song ended is now out.
Out
Out
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Final Round
End of game
At the end of each round, the player who is out must move out of the circle.
The last player remaining in the circle wins.
This book was designed by Elizabeth Korb in Fall 2012 for Word & Image 1 at Washington University in St. Louis. The pictograms used in this book are based off of photographs the designer took of her friends playing Down By the Banks. Printed on Hammermill 28 pound paper, using the Neutraface Slab Text font family.