At-Home Activity: Keeper of the Keys

Published June 12th, 2020
By Wild Earth, Staff & Board of Directors
Tagged with: at-home activity • keeper of the keys • remote learning • social and emotional learning

Growing up as the eldest cousin in my family was a rewarding and challenging experience. I always felt this innate need to entertain my younger cousins and I was constantly looking for a game that was both thrilling and rewarding.

Keeper of the Keys was a classic go-to game that I used time and time again. Not only did it require my cousins to actively participate, but they loved being able to “steal” something away from their older cousin. 

Admittedly, I usually gave them a bit of an advantage, as they weren’t the best at quieting their laughter. The more we played, the better they’d get each time until I actually needed to brush up on my own listening skills!

Keeper of the Keys reinforces trust, raises self-esteem, increases listening skills, and encourages positive communication. Not to mention, it’s just downright fun!

While Keeper of the Keys can be played in a variety of ways, the concept remains the same: players approach the blindfolded Keeper as quietly as can be, aiming to retrieve a set of keys from in front of them without being heard. 

Players slowly plan the quietest pathway to get the Keeper, all while remaining patient as they return the keys back to their starting point. 

As the blindfolded person, I can tell you firsthand how hilarious it is trying to figure out who is taking your keys. You can feel how much is silently happening right in front of your blindfolded eyes. 

My favorite part was always when my cousins would think that dashing in loudly and snatching my keys quickly would give them an advantage. It never did, haha.

Check out our hilarious take on the classic Keeper of the Keys game on Instagram TV and YouTube