Fall Left Right Game – Stories to Read Aloud

Short: The Leaf Pile

The maple in Uncle Dale's yard in Cedar Hollow drops its leaves all at once, on the one Saturday everybody is free. So everybody got a rake.

Nora started on the LEFT side of the yard and Uncle Dale took the RIGHT, and they raked toward the middle until there was one tall pile and not a leaf LEFT on the grass.

It was a fine pile. It was there for nearly a minute.

Then the wind came around the house. Half the pile went LEFT, into the flower bed. They raked it back. The other half went RIGHT, under the porch. They raked that back too.

The dog had been watching from the steps. The dog looked LEFT at Nora, looked RIGHT at Uncle Dale, and went through the middle of the pile at full speed and out the far side, wearing most of it.

After that there seemed no point in being careful. Nora jumped in. Uncle Dale said that was no way for a grown person to behave, set down the rake, and jumped in too.

By dark the leaves were back where they began, the rakes were on the porch, and out came the cider donuts. There are still some LEFT. Whatever you are holding now is yours to keep.

How it works

In a fall left right game everyone holds a small gift and passes it at each LEFT or RIGHT. No story here names a holiday. Press Start: give me 4 words to put your names in The Leaf Pile.

Read the full guide

How to play

Seat three or more in a circle, each with one small wrapped gift. One person reads, slowly. Every LEFT or RIGHT in capitals moves all the gifts one seat in that direction. When the story ends, each player keeps the gift in their hands.

Pick a story

The Leaf Pile is the short one. The Hayride is the long one, and the room can lean with the wagon at each bend. The Pumpkin That Rolled Away is a chase down a hill. The Harvest Table is 13 rhymed couplets about a potluck supper outdoors.

Type cider donuts, not the cider donuts: the stories add the.
For one prize, pass a small pumpkin: it ends one or two seats left of where it began.

Questions and answers

How long does the fall left right game take?

About 2 to 3 minutes a story. The Leaf Pile and The Harvest Table take about 2 minutes, with 8 and 7 passes. The Hayride and The Pumpkin That Rolled Away take about 3, with 10 and 7.

Is there a fall left right story that is not about Halloween or Thanksgiving?

All four here. For a holiday story, the Thanksgiving left right game has five, and The Ghost Who Got Lost, silly and not scary, is on the left right party game page.

What do you pass in a fall left right game?

One small wrapped gift each: a candle, a mug, a bag of caramel corn. With three or more players nobody gets their own gift back: The Leaf Pile and The Hayride end two seats to the left, the other two end one.

All 4 stories

Show the list

Short: The Leaf Pile Short, about 2 minutes. LEFT 5, RIGHT 3. One maple, two rakes and a windy Saturday. Gifts end two seats left of where they started. Asks for 4 words: 2 × name, 1 × town, 1 × fall treat.
Long: The Hayride Long, about 3 minutes. LEFT 6, RIGHT 4. One wagon, two bends and a driver with one rule. Gifts end two seats left of where they started. Asks for 4 words: 2 × name, 1 × town, 1 × fall treat.
The Pumpkin That Rolled Away Standard, about 3 minutes. LEFT 4, RIGHT 3. The biggest pumpkin in the patch, and a hill. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 4 words: 2 × name, 1 × town, 1 × fall treat.
Rhymed: The Harvest Table Rhymed, 13 couplets, about 2 minutes. LEFT 4, RIGHT 3. A potluck supper outdoors, from chili to the moon. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 3 words: 1 × name, 1 × town, 1 × fall treat.

The kinds of words the game asks for

Name a first name; a made-up one is fine. More examples: Sir Reginald, Professor Plum, Doctor Noodle.

How these stories were written: All four stories were written for this site in October 2026, and none is adapted from a left right story in circulation. No holiday is named in any of them. The names are the ones you type, or samples; no real person appears. Pass counts are counted by script from the final text. Licence: own work