If you’re looking for the perfect social distancing game to play with your family, you’re going to love You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior by award-winning game creator Allen Wolf. This clever book is filled with unique questions that put your bluffing skills to the test. The best part? The game can play in person or remotely. Read on for more details.

You’re Pulling My Leg!: The Ultimate Social Distancing Game for All Ages

Two quick notes. First, Morningstar Games sent me a copy of You’re Pulling my Leg! Junior to check out for the book tour. Second, this post contains affiliate links, so if you buy through them, I earn a small commission.

Do you remember those board games, “You’re Pulling My Leg!” and “You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior” that came out a while back? I believe it was around 2005-ish, but don’t quote me on that. The game was discontinued at some point, and now eBay is the only place to find it. However, thanks to Allen Wolf, you don’t need to scour auction sites to play this outrageously entertaining storytelling game.

You’re Pulling My Leg! and You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior have been adapted from the original board games into new books that let you play anytime, anywhere and with anyone- whether you’re in the same room together or thousands of miles apart. They really are the perfect social distancing games!

It’s a game, inside a book, and it’s how we play in the time of COVID

In current times of isolation and social distancing, it’s important to stay connected with loved ones. These book adaptations of You’re Pulling My Leg! and You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior make it possible to play with friends online or in person.

Tell me about a talent you wish you had. What about a time when you wanted something you couldn’t have? Tell me about an animal you would be if you could.

Both the adult and junior versions of You’re Pulling My Leg! are filled with hundreds of story-telling prompts. The storyteller chooses a prompt, then flips a coin (making sure that no one can see the outcome). If it’s heads, the storyteller has to tell a true story. Tails, a false one.

At the end of the story, the other players vote (using their fingers) on whether they think it was true or false. Players can “bet” up to three points, depending on how confident they are that they’re correct.  Aside from the book itself, you don’t need anything other than a coin and some way to keep track of everyone’s points. No cards or pieces to keep track of (and inevitably lose)!

Build Bonds and Storytelling Skills with You’re Pulling My Leg!

Aside from the overall fun factor, there are a couple of other things I really love about these games. First, they’re terrific tools for getting to know each other and build stronger bonds. Did you know that the original game was originally created as a gift for two friends who were dating?  They eventually got married, and You’re Pulling My Leg! was turned into a card game to help more people build strong relationships with each other. The questions also make great ice-breakers for kids doing cyber school this year. 

Second, the games are a wonderful way to build up your child’s storytelling skills and encourage them to use their imaginations. I think that’s one of the reasons it’s won so many awards and accolades, including the iParenting Media Award, The National Parenting Center Seal Of Approval, and Creative Child Magazine’s Toy of the Year Award.

Allen Wolf shared some details about the game in his own words, along with key questions to get to know your kids. Take a look at that below!

5 Key Questions to Get to Know Your Kids

By Allen Wolf

My wife and I helped our five-year-old boy, and seven-year-old girl ride their bikes when a stranger approached us on the street.

“Are those your grandkids?” he asked with a smile.

“No, I’m their dad,” I said with a shrug. The stranger chit-chatted about his grandchildren before moving along.

After he left, my daughter turned to me with a wry smile, “I told you that you’re super old!”

She certainly had. A few months earlier, she told me she thought I was “a million, thousand years old.” I’m in my late 40’s. I didn’t scold her for saying something that is horrifying to hear for people living in Los Angeles where youth is revered. At first, I did want to mount a convincing defense about how young I look for my age. But, I realized she had not yet learned the cultural norm of suppressing her thoughts. I held a rare position to hear her unbridled opinions.

I created the You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior game so parents could hear those same unfiltered opinions of their children – the good and the bad. Typically, if you ask your kids direct questions, they might feel a little intimidated to answer. But, in the context of a game, I’ve discovered that kids love sharing their thoughts, and they get a kick out of crafting their stories.

When The National Parenting Center reviewed You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior, they wrote, “Knowing your audience, playing to that audience and selling your ideas are some pretty heavy things to find in a simple game, but that is just what testers reported witnessing in their children as they played this game over and over. Along the way, you’ll be surprised how much you learn either about your own kids or about others.” Are you ready to be surprised at what you can learn about your kids?

Here are five questions I think will help you get a deeper glimpse into your kid’s hearts and imaginations:

Tell me about a time when you worried about something. 

This question will give you a window into how your kids perceive their world. They might share about a time you knew nothing about, and you can use this as an opportunity to speak into their fears.

Tell me about something you would do if someone paid you a lot of money. 

Children usually light up at this question. It’ll help you get a glimpse into their dreams for the future.

Tell me about something you would bring if you moved to another country.

Their answer will give you a window into what they feel like they can’t live without.

Tell me about a time when you acted like one of your parents.

Get ready to find out how your children perceive you.

Tell me about something mean that someone said about you.

Here’s an opportunity for your child to share about a time that might have been hurtful that you might be new to you.

You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior features these questions mixed in with many others throughout the game, and kids get to choose which three questions they’d like to answer. The best that can come out of playing You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior is that you and your family will get a lot closer, and you’ll have a lot of laughs along the way.

Where to Buy You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior

You’re Pulling My Leg! Junior is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM and IndieBound. FYI, as of right now, the book is available through Kindle Unlimited. That said, I recommend grabbing a print copy because it has blank “game highlights” pages on the back of every page. I think it would be fun to ask your kids to write down some of the things they learned about each other (or you) and use it kind of like a journal! Visit the Morningstar Games website for more details about both the adult and the junior version.

With the holiday season right around the corner, this social distancing game makes the perfect gift for all ages!