The document discusses the children's game "Broken Telephone". It is played by having one player whisper a message to the next player in a line, who then whispers what they heard to the next player, and so on until the end. Errors typically occur, so the final message is often quite different from the original. The game can teach children to listen carefully and communicate clearly. It also demonstrates how information can become distorted as it is indirectly passed between people, like rumors. The game has educational uses in schools to show this effect and can help children learn voice control and attention skills. It can also benefit foreign language learners by making pronunciation and comprehension more challenging with whispered messages.

1. Erasmus +KA229 ‘’Playing Europe’’
“BROKEN PHONE “
IIS “MARIO ORSO CORBINO” PARTINICO ITALIA
2020-2023

2. Why games are important
Thanks to games, children develop :
•their social interaction
•their ability of communication
•the image of themselves
•the perception of their body
•the knowledge of their limits and
possibilities

3. Origins
The broken phone game is known in
many parts of the world.
In most countries, the name of the
game refers to the metaphor of a
"fault" phone, but some names are
completely unrelated.
In Italy the name is “telefono senza
fili” (telephone without wires).
In English-speaking countries, the
most common name is "Chinese
whispers", probably referring to the
incomprehensibility of Chinese for the
English language.
A similar interpretation can be given to
the French name, téléphone arabe
"Arabic telephone".

4. How to play
It is an internationally popular game among
children. Players form a line or circle, and the first
player comes up with a message and whispers it
to the ear of the second person in the line.
The second player repeats the message to the
third player, and so on.
When the last player is reached, they announce
the message they heard to the entire group.
The first person then compares the original
message with the final version.
Errors typically accumulate in the retellings, so
the statement announced by the last player
differs significantly from that of the first player,
usually with amusing or humorous effect.
Reasons for changes include anxiousness or
impatience, erroneous corrections, and the
difficult-to-understand mechanism of whispering.
It is often invoked as a metaphor for cumulative
error, especially the inaccuracies as rumours or
gossip spread, or, more generally, for the
unreliability of human recollection or even oral
traditions.

5. Educational use
The game has no winner:
The entertainment comes from comparing
the original and final messages. As well as
providing amusement, the game can have
educational value. It shows how easily
information can become corrupted by
indirect communication.
The game has been used in schools to
simulate the spread of gossip and its possible
harmful effects.
It can also be used to teach young children to
moderate the volume of their voice, and how
to listen attentively, in this case, a game is a
success if the message is transmitted
accurately with each child whispering rather
than shouting.
It can also be used for older or adult learners
of a foreign language, where the challenge of
speaking comprehensibly, and understanding,
is more difficult because of the low volume,
and hence a greater mastery of of
pronunciation is required.
Watch the videos:
https://youtu.be/U26ts0bRTzE
https://youtu.be/DOE6I4d2pm8

6. Erasmus +KA229 ‘’Playing Europe’’