List of children's games

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A child playing tag. US Navy 110301-N-4920H-107 Chief Operations Specialist Steven Rowlands avoids a tag during a game of nap lungdy during a community service event at.jpg
A child playing tag.

This is a list of games that are played by children. Traditional children's games do not include commercial products such as board games but do include games which require props such as hopscotch or marbles (toys go in List of toys unless the toys are used in multiple games or the single game played is named after the toy; thus "jump rope" is a game, while "Jacob's ladder" is a toy). Despite being transmitted primarily through word of mouth due to not being considered suitable for academic study or adult attention, traditional games have "not only failed to disappear but have also evolved over time into new versions." [1]

Contents

Traditional children's games are defined "as those that are played informally with minimal equipment, that children learn by example from other children, and that can be played without reference to written rules. These games are usually played by children between the ages of 7 and 12, with some latitude on both ends of the age range." [2] "Children's traditional games (also called folk games) are those that are passed from child to child, generation to generation, informally by word of mouth," and most children's games include at least two of the following six features in different proportion: physical skill, strategy, chance, repetition of patterns, creativity, and vertigo. [3]

History

From the 18th century onwards, researchers have taken a greater interest in the value of traditional games in elucidating cultural values and identities. The modern Olympic Games were influenced by this thinking, and were founded by Pierre de Coubertin on the basis of "All games, all nations", though this aspect of the Olympics was never fully realised and quickly faded away after a few years, with mainly only Western sports being played. In some European countries, the revival of traditional games has served as a way for regional identities to be expressed in a political or educational way. [4]

Tag games

Hiding games

Games with equipment

Jumping games

Hopping games

Memory games

Parlour games

Hand games

Other traditional children's games

See also

Notes

  1. This game may be considered inappropriate by some[ who? ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hopscotch</span> Common playground game involving jumping between squares

Hopscotch is a popular playground game in which players toss a small object, called a lagger, into numbered triangles or a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces and retrieve the object. It is a children's game that can be played with several players or alone. Hopscotch is a physical and cognitive workout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tag (game)</span> Game of chasing and catching other people

Tag is a playground game involving one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to "tag" and mark them out of play, typically by touching with a hand. There are many variations; most forms have no teams, scores, or equipment. Usually when a person is tagged, the tagger says, "It!" or "Tag, you're 'It'!" The last one tagged during tag is "It" for the next round. The game is known by other names in various parts of the world, including "running and catching" in India and "catch and cook" in the Middle East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clapping game</span> Cooperative game of clapping hands

A clapping game is a type of usually cooperative game which is generally played by two players and involves clapping as a rhythmic accompaniment to a singing game or reciting of a rhyme, often nursery rhymes. Clapping games are found throughout the world and similar games may be known throughout large areas with regional variation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street game</span> Sport or game that is played on city streets

A street game or street sport is a sport or game that is played on city streets rather than a prepared field. Street games are usually simply play time activities for children in the most convenient venue. Some street games have risen to the level of organized tournaments, such as stickball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese jump rope</span> Childrens game

Chinese jump rope, also known as Chinese ropes, jumpsies, elastics, rek, yoki (Canada), Super Cali (Newfoundland), French skipping, American ropes/Chinese ropes, gummitwist, "jeu de l elastique" in France and Chinese garter in the Philippines is a children's game resembling hopscotch and jump rope. Various moves are combined to create patterns which are often accompanied by chants.

Chinese jump rope combines the skills of hopscotch with some of the patterns from the hand-and-string game cat's cradle. The game began in 7th-century China. In the 1960s, children in the Western hemisphere adapted the game. German-speaking children call Chinese jump rope gummitwist and British children call it elastics. The game is typically played in a group of at least 3 players with a rope approximately 16 feet in length tied into a circle. Traditional Chinese jump ropes are strings of rubber bands tied together, but today many varieties of commercial rope exist. Two players face each other standing 9 feet apart, and position the rope around their ankles so that it is taut. The third player stands between the two sides of the rope and tries to perform a designated series of moves without making an error or pausing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kho kho</span> Traditional Indian tag game played in teams

Kho kho is a traditional South Asian sport that dates to ancient India. It is the second-most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after kabaddi. Kho kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connecting two poles which are at either end of the court. During the game, nine players from the chasing team are on the field, with eight of them sitting (crouched) in the central lane, while three runners from the defending team run around the court and try to avoid being touched. Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field that their adjacent teammates are facing.

Traditional Filipino games or indigenous games in the Philippines are games that are played across multiple generations, usually using native materials or instruments. In the Philippines, due to limited resources for toys, children usually invent games that do not require anything but players. There are different kinds of Filipino traditional games which are well-suited for kids, and the games also stand as one of the different cultural and traditional games of the Philippines. Due to the variety of skills used in these games, they serve an important purpose in the physical and mental development of Filipino children. These games are also an important part of Filipino culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherokee marbles</span> Traditional Cherokee game

Cherokee marbles, or five hole is a traditional game among the Cherokee people of the United States, in which players roll small stone balls between five shallow pits dug into a playing field. Today, the game is commonly played with billiard balls. The game may be played in individual or team play, and in this century, has been introduced into the curricula of students attending schools in the Cherokee Nation. There is also a national tournament held annually during the Cherokee National Holiday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Out of bounds</span> Concept in many sports related to the edge of the playing area

In sports, out of bounds refers to being outside the playing boundaries of the field. The legality of going out of bounds, and the ease of prevention, vary by sport. Sports that use this term include American football, Canadian football, field lacrosse, basketball, rugby union, rugby league, and association football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duck, duck, goose</span> Childrens chasing game

Duck, duck, goose is a traditional children's game often first learned in preschool or kindergarten. The game may be later adapted on the playground for early elementary students. The object of this game is to walk in a circle, tapping on each player's head until one is finally chosen; the chosen player must then chase the picker to avoid becoming the next picker.

Traditional games of Andhra Pradesh, like many other traditional games played in India, involve games which are played mostly by children. These games may also be enjoyed by other people of any age, as it reminds them of their childhood. Despite the advent of computers and technology, with children preferring to spend their times indoors, these games are still very popular in the Andhra Pradesh. They are also played in great and small towns all over India and Pakistan, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, as well as Cambodia and Italy..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Punjab, India</span>

Punjabis play a wide variety of sports and games, ranging from modern games such as hockey and cricket, to the more traditional games such as Kabaddi, Kushtian (wrestling) and Khuddo khoondi. There are over 100 traditional games and sports of Punjab.

Thai traditional games have been an integral part of Thai culture and traditions since ancient times. The Sukhothai period marked the earliest known traditional games in Thailand, as recorded in the stone inscription of King Ramkhamhaeng. Since then, Thai traditional games have evolved and been adapted over time, leading to the development of a wide variety of games across different eras. These games were originally designed to foster good relationships between adults and young people, as well as to provide entertainment, relaxation, and exercise. They are played with a set of rules and often feature music or songs to enhance the experience. Moreover, many traditional Thai games incorporate natural items such as sand, bamboo, rattan, mud balls, or banana tree stems, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditional games of India</span> Pre-colonial sports heritage of India

India has several traditional games and sports, some of which have been played for thousands of years. Their popularity has greatly declined in the modern era, with Western sports having overtaken them during the British Raj, and the Indian government now making some efforts to revive them. Many of these games do not require much equipment or playing space. Some of them are only played in certain regions of India, or may be known by different names and played under different rules and regulations in different regions of the country. Many Indian games are also similar to other traditional South Asian games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditional games of Pakistan</span> Pakistani pre-colonial sports heritage

Pakistan has many traditional games played in the rural and urban areas of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditional games of South Asia</span>

South Asia has many traditional games and sports. Two of them, kabaddi and kho-kho, are played at the South Asian Games, with kabaddi also featuring at the Asian Games. Many of these games are played across the entire subcontinent under different names and with some rule variations, while some of these games may be played only in certain countries or regions.

Nepal has many traditional games that are similar to other traditional South Asian games. Many of these games were played during local cultural festivals, but are now disappearing because of technological influence and globalisation.

References

  1. Lindon, Jennie (2001). Understanding Children's Play, p.83. Nelson Thornes. ISBN   9780748739707.
  2. Sierra, Judy and Kaminski, Robert (1995). Children's Traditional Games, p.xii. Oryx. ISBN   0897749677.
  3. Sierra and Kaminski (1995), p.3.
  4. Hardman, Ken; Green, Ken (2011). Contemporary Issues in Physical Education: International Perspectives. Meyer & Meyer Verlag. ISBN   978-1-84126-312-0.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Gryski, Camilla (1998). Let's Play: Traditional Games of Childhood, p. 5. Kids Can. ISBN   1550744976.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Sierra and Kaminski (1995), pp. v-vi.
  7. 1 2 Gryski (1998), p.10-11.
  8. Gryski (1998), p.15.
  9. Newell, W. W. (2010). Games and Songs of American Children, p. 189. Nabu Press. ISBN   978-1-145-39322-6.
  10. Foster, Edna Abigail; ed. (1916). Something to Do,—Boys!: A Book for Wide-Awake Boys , p. 222. W. A. Wilde. [ISBN unspecified].
  11. Gryski (1998), p. 26.
  12. "Leapfrog", Merriam-Webster.com. Accessed June 27, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Gryski (1998), p.16.
  14. Jennifer Moore-Mallinos (15 December 2018). When Competition Goes Too Far. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. pp. 30–. ISBN   978-1-5383-9033-7.
  15. 1 2 Schaefer, Charles E.; Reid, Steven E.; eds. (2004). Game Play: Therapeutic Use of Childhood Games, p.10. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   9780471437338.
  16. Sahana Charan. "Not just the written word". Bangalore Mirror , 7/24/2011.