Sleeping lions

Sleeping lions is a children's game that divides a group into two roles. Most players lie down on the floor as lions, close their eyes, and try to stay completely still and silent, while one or two other players act as hunters whose job is to make a lion move. Hunters may tell jokes, lean in close, or talk to a lion, but they are not allowed to touch any of the lions directly. Any lion who laughs, moves, or otherwise breaks stillness has to stand up and switch sides, becoming a hunter for the rest of the round. Play continues until every lion has been drawn out, or until whoever is running the game decides to stop. The same structure is sometimes reused in schools with its competitive purpose reversed: all children play lions while a teacher takes the hunter role, and the teacher deliberately avoids making anyone move, using the stillness itself as a way to calm a class down after a more energetic activity rather than as a contest to win. The game is also known by the alternate name dead soldiers.