Games Deaf and HOH People Will Probably Not Enjoy

Growing up, like most kids, I participated in various games with friends and in school. Many of them involved the ability to listen. For me, this meant utilizing my better ear with or without my hearing aid. I did not particularly enjoy these types of games, especially when I could not wear my hearing aid. Not surprisingly, I was never very good at them. Now I know why my friends loved playing Marco Polo with me in the swimming pool, because they always won. I think they were just as clueless as I was about why they were so good at this game when they played with me. When I was a child, I never gave it much thought as to why I did not enjoy and do well with these types of games.

From the comments some of my readers left in another post, I realize that I am not alone in this. 

JK shared: 

When I was 11 or 12 and mainstreamed in middle school, I took one class which was about self discovery or something silly like that. One day, the teacher had each student draw a piece of paper; on that paper was a nursery rhyme. We then had to HUM the rhyme that we picked, and then go around the room and guess what each person was humming. It's virtually impossible to lipread a humming person!

I told the teacher that I didn't know the rhythm for the one I picked since I always read to myself, so I couldn't hum it, and I wouldn't be able to dicipher any of the other rhymes anyway because it was too noisy with everyone humming.

"Just try," she said. (I HATE when people say that!)

"But, I can't hear!"

"Do it anyway!"

"But, I'm deaf! I can't hear!" I burst into tears, and ran to the girls' bathroom, bawling.

I have never, ever defied a teacher, stood up for myself, or ran out of the classroom before. Afterwards, I went to the principal to complain since I knew I would get in trouble by the teacher anyway (which I did) and the principal was always supportive of me. (What kid voluntarily goes to the principal's office?!) I didn't care though; I knew even at 11 that she was completely wrong and insensitive. I think she wanted to give me detention or something, but when I told my mom and the principal what she did, it was dropped.

From Anonymous:

My music teacher decided to play the gossip game. (I guess something happened to him or someone that made him have this activity because it didnt have anything to do w/ music) what he did was circle the whole class and said something like this"i am going to whisper something to this person ear and she should repeat it to the next person in a whisper, the last person should tell the class what I whispered" well when it got to my turn i couldnt hear the whisper so i just went like this "blah, blah, blah" lol... of course the last person said blah blah blah lol he decided to play again but only this time i raised my hands and told him i couldnt play this game. So he let me out of the circle and i had to wait patiently. Anyway the moral of the game was gossips tend to to get twisted or changed or something like that. 

Although these games can be very fun and hilarious for some people, for most deaf or hard of hearing individuals, these games can be a nightmare.


I thought it would be helpful to create a list of games, commonly played by others that would require the ability to listen, that most deaf and hard of hearing people would not be so eager to join in and play:

• Telephone or Gossip

• Marco Polo

• Simon Says

• Hum that Tune, The Humming Game, Guess That Tune

• Musical Chairs

• Freeze, Stop Dancing (requires ability to hear music) 

If you are going to have a deaf or hard of hearing child or student participating in any of these games, please show some consideration. Think of other games they can play that does not require listening or hearing sounds and music. But, if you insist that they play some of these games, you can always modify them by adding visual cues or even sign language without singling out the deaf or hard of hearing child.

But if you are going to be a jerk about it and insist that they must play these games, like everyone else, because it is your party, at least have a giant pinata at the end of the party that the deaf or hard of hearing child can beat the hell out of in frustration.

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