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Play Cabra Cega

First suggested by Moot 2025 United Kingdom Contingent
Spin, chase, and guess in this classic Portuguese take on Blind Man's Buff!

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You’ll need

  • Blindfold

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.   
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely. 
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help. 

The World Scout Moot is a global event for Scouts and Guides aged 18 to 25. It's held every four years in different countries, bringing young people together to make new friends, discover new cultures and enjoy exciting adventures. 

The next Moot will be held in Portugal in 2025. The event has three parts: a semi-independent expedition, a large camp with Scouts from around the world and a special experience after the main event. Portugal’s a beautiful country in Southern Europe, known for its fascinating history, stunning beaches and warm weather. This year’s participants will have the chance to explore Lisbon’s historic streets, relax by the sea and take part in outdoor activities, such as hiking and surfing.

Learn more about the 16th World Scout Moot. 

 

Running this activity

  1. Gather everyone together and explain that they're going to play a Portuguese game called Cabra Cega. It means ‘The Blind Goat’.   
  2. One player will be the ‘goat’ and wear a blindfold. Their job is to tag another player by gently tapping their clothing.  
  3. When the blind goat tags someone, they must guess who they caught. If they guess correctly, the tagged player becomes the new blind goat.  
  4. Choose a player to be the blind goat. They should put the blindfold on. 
  5. Slowly spin the person around in a circle a few times. Always check they’re happy and comfortable to be spun before starting. You could also ask the person to turn around in circles themselves, so they can go at their own speed.  
  6. While the person is spinning, everyone else says together:  

Cabra cega, de onde vens?

 

Do bosque!

 

O que trazes para comer?

 

Pão e marmelada!

 

Posso comer um bocadinho?

 

Não!

 

Então vamos correr todos!

(KAH-brah SEH-gah, dee ON-deh vays?)

(Doo BOSH-kee)

 

(OO keh TRAH-zees PAH-rah koh-MEH-ree?)

 

(PAH-oo ee mahr-meh-LAH-dah)

 

(POH-soh koh-MEH-ree oom boh-kah-DEEN-yoh?)

(NOW)

 

(EHN-tow VAH-mohs koh-REHR TOH-dohs)

Blind goat, where are you from? 

 

From the forest! 

 

What did you bring to eat? 

 

Bread and jam! 

 

Can we have a little bit? 

 

No! 

 

Then let’s all run away! 

 

  1. Once everyone's finished, stop spinning the person.  
  2. Everyone who’s not on should freeze and stay still. 
  3. The person who's on tries to tag someone. When they tag someone, they need to try to guess who it is.  
  4. The game continues until everyone has had a chance to be on. 
  5. To make this game harder, instead of freezing, people could slowly walk around the room while the person tries to tag them.  

Reflection

This activity was all about listening and having fun. We learned about a traditional Portuguese game called Cabra Cega. Can you remember what it means? What did you think of the game? 

If you were on, what was it like to be spun? Did it make it harder or easier? What did it feel like? Did you manage to tag someone? And did you work out who it was and how? What skills did you need to use, like listening? 

If you were being tagged, how did you try and avoid the tagger? How did you still make the game fair for them? Did you do anything to try and disguise who you were?  

This game was lots of fun, but how could you make it even better? See if you can think of any ideas to make it more fun or harder.  

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Active games

The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.

Dark

Provide some light, so the environment isn’t completely dark. Everyone must be able to see others and move around the area safely.

Contact games and activities

Make sure everyone understands what contact is acceptable, and monitor contact throughout the activity.

  • To make this activity easier, you could get everyone to stand still in a circle and have the person spin in the middle of the circle. You could also have a caller to help direct the blindfolded person to someone to tag. 
  • To make this activity harder, you could have two people ‘on’ at the same time, so there’s more taggers. 
  • Some people are distressed by physical contact and being touched. This may mean they find holding hands or shoulders, high-fiving, being tagged or shaking hands uncomfortable. No-one should be forced to touch someone else. If someone isn’t comfortable with being tagged or tagging, you could place a necker in a belt loop or pocket for people to take instead of tagging someone, just like tag rugby. 
  • Make sure there’s a way to include everyone in this game or activity. If anyone doesn’t feel comfortable playing the game or taking part in the activity, let them take on another role instead. Some examples are spinning the person who’s on. 
  • Some people may struggle with balance. Make sure to check the want to be spun in a circle and have adult spotters to assist them when walking with the blindfold on. You could also ask the person to turn around in circles themselves, so people can go at their own speed. 
  • This game can be played standing or sitting on chairs. 
  • If anyone has problems with mobility or moving round, think about how the game could be adapted. For example, they could sit in the middle, then try to catch someone as people walk past and tap them. 
  • If someone feels uncomfortable with darkness or blindfolds, let them close their eyes, cover them with their hands, or keep their eyes open. No one should wear a blindfold if they don’t want to. Always check that everyone feels comfortable throughout the activity and allow blindfolds to be removed at any time. It may help to agree on a signal, such as raising a hand, to pause for a break or to speak to an adult. You could offer another activity alongside this one for those who prefer not to be in the dark. 
  • If someone’s sensitive to loud noises, try to remind everyone to be quieter when saying the chant. People could wear ear defenders, you can shut doors and windows to reduce external noise, or you can have a quiet zone for people to go to if needed. You could also run the activity outside or over a larger space to reduce the noise. You could also do doing physical actions, rather than saying it aloud. In noisy activities, someone with a hearing aid might feel more comfortable turning it off but be sure it’s turned back on afterward. 

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.