Kim's Game

The name is derived from Rudyard Kipling's 1901 novel Kim, in which the protagonist plays the game during his training as a spy.

Lurgan brings out a copper tray and tosses a handful of fifteen jewels onto it; his boy servant explains to Kim:[2] Look on them as long as thou wilt, stranger.

It is considered a vital part of training in observation; Lurgan says: [Do] it many times over till it is done perfectly - for it is worth doing.This game is commonly played with young children, either preschool or in the first year or two of schooling (age 5 and 6) as it promotes the development of memory and observation skills and can be used for learning new groups of objects, such as shapes or fruits.

[3] When played with a young audience, the game is often changed to a simpler version where after attempting to memorise the contents of the tray, it is covered or taken away and one object secretly removed from it.

The one who remembers most wins the game.The United States Marine Corps' Scout Sniper Instructor School in Quantico, Virginia, is one establishment that teaches the game as part of its curriculum.