How to play
- Participants
- We suggest 5–10 players: a distributor, a mouse and the possible ring holders.
- Space
- A quiet space where everyone can sit comfortably in a circle.
- Equipment
- A smooth, age-appropriate token that fits inside cupped hands
- Starting formation
- The ring holders sit in a circle with palms together. The mouse turns away or leaves the viewing area.
- The distributor hides the token between their palms and moves their joined hands through each player’s cupped hands in turn.
- They secretly leave it with one player. Everyone keeps the same hand position so the hiding place remains unclear.
- Invite the mouse to look again and guess who has the ring. Use the source’s suggested limit of three guesses.
- After a correct guess or three attempts, reveal the token. Choose the next roles using a rotation agreed before the round.
Ending: The round ends when the ring holder is revealed. Role rotation is an organisational addition here: the source does not specify it precisely.
Documented version: This is the form described in a 2024 teaching study. The author allows extra guesses for younger children; agree that separate adjustment before a round.
Names and variants
Ein žiedytis, Ein žiedytis per rankytes
A quiet attention game
Try the first distribution openly so everyone understands the hand position. Later, matching movements and keeping a secret provide the challenge.
What the source establishes
Rasa Markevičienė describes a game used in her educational setting. It is not presented here as an archival record from a particular village. The full song and melody are not reproduced.