What parents want most in their daily lives is to spend quality time with their children, however, the hectic daily routine does not give them the time that is often essential and necessary. Being present in their lives is increasingly synonymous with quality of life and if it is to play with them, even better. To this end, we have some suggestions for traditional games that will help you have fun as a family and provide them with the best memories that, for sure, will be remembered with great affection by the child when he or she reaches adulthood.
Over the years, parents have taught their children games and activities, maintaining the tradition of passing on fun from generation to generation. These are inexpensive and very fun activities, and most of them can be played at any time or place, whether outdoors or indoors.
Here are some suggestions for very fun traditional games to enjoy unique moments with your family:
Blind Man's Buff
In this game, the playing field is first defined. Then a random player is chosen to represent the blind man's buff and his eyes are blindfolded with a handkerchief. This player will have to try to catch one of the elements on the playing field and after catching one of the elements, he will have to discover the name of the player who caught it, while still blindfolded.
Hopscotch
The monkey game, also known as the man game or the coxinho foot game, is still from the time of our grandmothers. This traditional game can be played with two children and is ideal to be played outdoors where you can draw the monkey on the ground as shown in the image above. To play this game we suggest our Box of 12 Outdoor Chalks in various colours from J aq Jaq which are ideal for drawing on almost any rough surface and also a small stone for each player.
After drawing the monkey, follow these steps:
- The child throws the stone to the first house and hobbles to where the stone is without stepping on the lines and after catching it, the stone goes back;
- Repeat the previous step, always throwing the stone to the following levels until you reach the last level;
- In houses 4 and 5 and 7 and 8, both feet must be placed simultaneously;
- After skipping the last few houses, you need to do the route in reverse.
This team game allows you to work on the concept of each person waiting their turn, respecting each other's time and abilities, as well as improving each person's balance and motor skills.
Sack Race
Sack racing is one of the most popular traditional games among children. It is a simple activity but requires a lot of skill and balance from children.
This game is perfect for birthday parties or other activities like outdoor family picnics and barbecues.
For this game, the more children playing, the better. It's a great way for children to make friends, learn to compete and improve their motor coordination.
To play sack race, follow these steps:
- Children must wear the bags around their legs and wait for the whistle, in a line;
- To start the race without difficulty, children must hold the bag with one hand to prevent the bag from falling below their knees and maintain balance with the other hand so they can jump;
- Throughout the race, children must keep both legs in the bag until they reach the finish line;
- Whoever falls along the way loses; - Whoever reaches the finish line first wins;
- Whoever reaches the finish line qualifies for the next round.
IMPORTANT: Children should play sack race on a safe and preferably soft surface as falls are practically inevitable.
Take thebag game with you wherever you go!
On the sly!
This is one of the most popular and interesting games played in childhood. It is a game of great significance from a social and symbolic point of view. The aim of this game is to search for and find the players who have hidden in a certain space after one of them counts to a number agreed upon by everyone.
First, a more or less large playing area is defined. Then, a player is chosen to count so that everyone can hear it until a certain number (10 or 20, for example), standing with their back to their teammates and leaning against a wall. While this player counts with their eyes closed, the other players try to hide in hard-to-find places. After counting, the player will try to find the players who are hiding. The first player to be found will be the next to count.
If a hidden player manages to reach the place where he is saved and says: “free everyone” and his name, the same player starts counting again. NOTE: this game can also be played in teams. One team searches and the other team hides.
Ring Game
The ring game should be played with at least 6 children over the age of eight and helps develop the imagination, creativity and attention of those who play it. It can be played at home, in the backyard, at school or at any party. For this game you will only need a simple jewelry ring.
First, a child will be chosen to pass the ring. The remaining participants can sit next to each other with their hands together and half open, forming a half-open shell. The child who has the ring in his hands must pass his hands between the hands of the other participants. At a certain point, the child will have to choose one of the players and drop the ring between his hands, without the others noticing. The child with the ring must pass his hands again between the participants in order to mislead the group.
Next, the child will choose a participant who does not have the ring and this person must guess who has the ring. If the child guesses correctly, it will be their turn to pass the ring. If they guess incorrectly, they will be eliminated from the game.
To make the game more exciting, it is suggested that the child in the ring has more than one object in his or her hands (marble, coin, or other objects besides the ring). The chosen player must guess which object and in whose hands it is.
Handkerchief Game
In this game, two teams are created with the same number of players, each assigned the same number (1,2,3,4, etc.), which is decided secretly by each team. The teams are placed face to face and separated by the same distance.
In the middle of the field stands a player who is not part of either team, known as the "Referee", with a handkerchief hanging from one hand and who calls out a random number during each play.
Players from both teams whose numbers are called must run as fast as they can and try to get the handkerchief without being touched by their opponent. Immediately after one of them gets the handkerchief, he or she must run back to his or her team's base to score points.
Main rules to take into account:
- Each player on one of the teams has a number equal to the number of another player on the opposing team, however, more than one number can be assigned to each player, if there are few players, but always the same as the opposing team;
- When the referee in the middle of the two teams calls out one of the numbers, the players on each team who have that number must run quickly towards the handkerchief to try to catch it. When the handkerchief is caught, if the player manages to run away with the handkerchief to his team's base without being touched by the opponent, he gains 1 point for his team. However, if he manages to run away with the handkerchief to the opposing team's base without being touched by the other player, his team gains 2 points. If the opposing player touches the handkerchief while he is holding it, his team gains 1 point. If the opponent manages to take the handkerchief from the hand of the player who has the handkerchief in his possession, without touching any other part of his body, during the play, he will be able to score points for his team, just as if he had taken it from the referee;
- All numbers must be called by the judge;
- If two players are taking too long to remove each other's handkerchief, the referee may call another number to help the other player. In this specific case, all the conditions of the game remain the same, and the player can only be touched by his corresponding number from the opposing team;
- The team that first scores 20 points wins the game or an approximate time can be decided to finish the match;
- The Judge may, if he so wishes, call the two complete teams shouting "FIRE!";
- If the Judge shouts "WATER!" the teams must remain still;
- If everyone agrees, the Judge can call two or more players at a time if he wants.
- To help make the races more fun, the Judge can call out the numbers, making them correspond to names that define the way the number should move until it reaches the desired base (for example: Madeira - can only walk on its hind legs; Panela - two players from each team must ride on their backs; Caranguejo - on their backs; etc...).
Attention: It is not allowed to "make wings" (open your arms to make it easier to touch your opponent to unbalance him if he is closer to taking the handkerchief from the Judge.
Marbles Game
This game can be played both indoors and outdoors and can keep children entertained for hours or even days. Marbles are extremely cheap compared to other small toys, and we suggest our much-loved O Livo Marbles with a wide selection of marbles in different colours and sizes. It is a product that needs no introduction and brings back the atmosphere of yesteryear. Children, big or small, players or collectors, love these marbles and the many games they can play with them.
To play marbles with your children you will need the following materials:
- A carrying bag for the marbles;
- J AQ JAQ Chalk Pencil so you can draw a circle on the ground if you play outdoors, or a circle of rope if you play indoors.
How to play:
- Draw a 90cm diameter circle on the floor with chalk or make one with a rope if you are playing at home on a rug or carpet;
- Choose the so-called "Muffler Marble". This marble must be the largest marble in your collection;
- Place between 5 and 10 other marbles in the center of the circle;
- When it's your turn, kneel outside the circle and shoot "The Smother" with your thumb, trying to push as many marbles out of the circle as possible;
- If you push any of the marbles out of the circle, you can keep them and have the right to play again;
- If you fail to push any marbles out of the circle, leave "The Smotherer" in the circle until your next attempt. Until then, it is the opposing player's turn to play.
- Keep playing until the circle is empty.
The person with the most marbles at the end of the game is the winner. At the end, you can give each other marbles back, unless you have agreed to play for real!
Cat and Mouse Game
In this game, players choose one child to be the mouse and another to be the cat. The remaining participants form a circle in which two children have to stand back to back, one being "The Door" and the other "The Clock". The cat stands on the outside of the circle and the mouse on the inside.
After that all players should ask the following:
- "What time is it?";
- "The Clock" tells the time and the wheel starts to spin and at the same time count out loud the chosen number;
- When they have finished counting, all the children in the circle raise their arms and the cat starts chasing the mouse, entering and leaving the circle under the arms of the other children;
- If the cat catches the mouse, that player is eliminated and other children are chosen to be the mouse and the cat.
Tic Tac Toe
This game can be considered a classic of classics because it is one of the oldest games in memory and also one of the most popular. To play it, you just need to draw a grid of three rows and three columns on a piece of paper.
Players must take turns drawing their respective symbols in an empty space. One player can only draw a circle at a time and the other can only draw a cross at a time.
The objective of the game is for one of the players to be able to make a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line using only the symbol assigned to them at the start of the game.
Spinning Top Game
This is a very popular game that uses a tapered wooden object with a metal tip. Nowadays, spinning tops are made of different materials such as plastic, metal or wood and come in different shapes and can be played with two or more children.
This is a very popular game that uses a tapered wooden object with a metal tip. Nowadays, spinning tops are made of different materials such as plastic, metal or wood and come in different shapes and can be played with two or more children.
To play this "old-fashioned" game, you only need a spinning top, a spinning top string and a Legler Chalk Pencil to draw a circle on the ground.
To play this game you must consider the following rules:
- To begin, draw a circle on the ground with a diameter of approximately 3 meters and this circle will be the place where the players will throw the spinning top in the previously agreed order;
- If a player throws the top and it stays inside the circle after it spins, he is automatically disqualified from that match and leaves the top in the same place;
- The remaining players (each in turn) try to throw the spinning top that was inside out of the circle and whenever a player manages to remove the spinning top from the other player, he or she wins a point;
- Players are allowed to spin the top in the palm of their hand and throw it at their opponent's top that is still on the ground to try to get the opponent to leave the circle while trying to keep their top from getting stuck in the circle;
- Each game consists of three series of throws and the player with the most points at the end wins.
Loved by grandparents and children!
Chinese Monkey Game
This traditional game must be played with at least 3 children. One stands with his back to the other and the others have to run. For this game you only need a large space without obstacles so that the children do not get hurt.
Game rules:
- Next to a wall, one of the children (the Chinese monkey) stands with his back to the others who are lined up a certain distance away;
- Facing the wall, the child with their back turned has to say quickly or slowly the phrase "One, two, three, Chinese monkey!" but can only turn around when they finish the phrase;
- At the same time that this child says the sentence, the others try to get as close as possible to try to reach the wall;
- The other children can only move while the sentence is being said;
- As soon as the child finishes saying the sentence and turns to the others, they must stop moving and remain still;
- Children who are seen moving must return to the starting point;
- The child who reaches the wall first without being caught moving and shouting the phrase "Chinese Monkey!" wins.
Jump Rope
To play this game you will need a skipping rope. The child who can skip the longest without stepping on, tripping or missing the rope is the winner of the game.
If you have a longer rope and want to play in teams, two of the children swing the rope for the rest of the children to jump over. Each team must have at least 3 or more members, including the players holding the rope.
The team that remains jumping the longest without stepping on, tripping or missing the rope wins the game.
Musical Chairs Game
Musical Chairs is one of the most popular family games and is often played at family parties. In this game, participants stand, spin and dance around a row of chairs that are one size smaller than the number of participants and are facing away from each other while music plays in the background.
There is also a person responsible for stopping the background music when he/she so wishes. When this happens, all participants must sit in the nearest chair without using their hands to move the chair.
The person who does not sit in one of the closest chairs is excluded from the game and at the start of the next game with one less player, a chair is also removed from the game. The last person to sit in the last available chair when the music stops wins the game.
Please note, as mentioned above, that the number of chairs must always be less than the number of people playing.
Human Rope Game
In this game, a child is chosen and their goal is to catch the others while they run away from being caught in the space defined before the game begins. When the child who is chasing manages to touch one of the other children, the child who was touched holds hands with the child who was touched, thus forming a human rope. They then both go on to chase the remaining children, thus forming a chain with all the children who were touched. Whenever a child is touched, that child becomes the tail of the human rope.
Please note that only the children at the ends can hunt and only if the chain is still together. If someone is touched while the chain is broken, that touch will not count. The last child to be touched will be the winner.
There is also another version where two children can be nominated to catch. In this case, the child who has managed to catch the most children at the end of the game wins.
Egg and Spoon Race
This game can be played in any setting. Whether at home, at school or outdoors, this game can be played individually or as a group. If there is more than one participant, a competition can be held to see who can complete the challenge first.
The objective of this game is to travel from one point to another without dropping the egg. The mouth must hold a spoon on which an egg must be balanced.
To play this game, you only need an egg and a spoon. You will also need to mark a starting point and an ending point. Participants will have to make their way between the two marked points while holding the spoon in their mouth, on which they will have to balance an egg without letting it fall.
To avoid making a mess in the game area, you can always choose to sew the eggs. If the children playing are between 3 and 6 years old, the real eggs can be replaced with silicone eggs or something similar. In this case, they can also use their hands to hold the spoon instead of their mouths.
The older the child, the more difficulty can be increased by placing obstacles in the way, for example. And to further increase the difficulty of the game, it can be played in teams where teams can pass the egg from one spoon to the other spoon of the players on the same team.
If the egg falls off the spoon, the child will have to return to the starting point and start the journey again from the beginning.
Petanque Game with Soft Balls
Petanque is a gentle and comfortable reimagining of a classic game, where players traditionally throw metal balls as close as possible to a main target ball (usually made of wood). However, in this particular case, everyone knows that fabric balls don't roll... which means that now you'll need to be very careful to hit the target.
Keep in mind that this game is not just about throwing the ball. Use your turn to trick your opponents whenever you think they might be getting a little closer to the target ball.
Tug of War
The aim of this game is for the participants to group together, forming two teams. Each team holds a section of the rope, preferably from the end to the middle. When a third party authorises the starting order, either by whistle, shout, flags or another signal established for this purpose by the referee, each team pulls the rope so that the scarf in the middle of the rope passes one of the marks defined on the ground.
These marks are usually located 1 meter from the center, on the side of both teams. The winning team is then found from the middle. Participants can repeat as many times as they want, establishing prizes for the winners at their discretion.
With the tug of war game, fun is guaranteed.
Egg Hunt
Anyone with children at home knows that egg hunts are not only a fun activity to entertain the little ones on festive days, but they are also very easy to organize and prepare. As a rule, egg hunts should be held outdoors. If the weather is good, success is guaranteed. However, always have a plan B in mind, because if the weather conditions do not allow it, you will have to do the egg hunt indoors. In this specific case, know in advance which rooms in the house you want to limit the hunt to, telling the children where they can roam freely, safely and without the risk of breaking anything. As you hide the eggs, make a note of all the places where you hide them and make a list so that no eggs are forgotten.
Mark a starting point where all the children will start to search for the eggs. To make things a little easier, you can also decorate the spaces with arrows or small signs with clues to where the eggs are hidden. Place these around the area and if you think some children are having difficulty finding the eggs, give them some tips to keep them interested and involved in the activity.
At the end, when all the eggs have been found, take some group photos with their treasures – you can even create a small backdrop to make the photos more themed and unforgettable. If you have time and space, set up a table with colored pencils, glitter, some stickers and other painting materials so that all the children can decorate their eggs. That way, you will have plenty of memories to repeat in the years to come.
Broken Telephone Game
In this game, a message is passed orally from one child to another, whispering a "secret" into the ear of the person next to them that the other players cannot know. This "secret" must be whispered from player to player until the last player to hear the "secret" says it out loud for everyone to hear. One of the rules of the game is that the "secret" cannot be repeated to the same person, which makes the game more interesting because it is common for the message to be misinterpreted and consequently passed on in increasingly distorted ways, ending with a message completely different from the original.
In this game it is possible to compete in groups and at the end compare which of them reaches the end with the "secret" most similar to the initial one.
Please also note the following rules:
- All players must form a circle or a line; - The person at the head of the line or in any position in the circle must create the "secret" (a word or a phrase) and must whisper this "secret" very quietly in the ear of the player next to them;
- The next player will have to repeat the same "secret" exactly as he heard or understood it to the next player, and so on, until he reaches the last player who will have to announce out loud what he heard or understood;
- It is unlikely that the "secret" heard by the last player will be the same "secret" said by the player who started the game, because by speaking softly into the player's ear, you will be hindering communication, causing the "secret" to be misinterpreted and distorted when passed on, thus ensuring that everyone has fun.
Suggestion: For younger children, instead of elaborate sentences, choose to say single words.
Board Games
Board games are a great activity for groups of two or more people.
There are many types of board games and each has a learning curve that can vary significantly from game to game.
The time required to learn to play or master a game is also variable and the time is not necessarily related to the number or complexity of the rules being learned.
For more interesting facts and tips about these and many other traditional games, visit our online store where we have a wide variety of toys for children and adults, or visit us in our physical store at:
Teixeirinha Lane, No. 33
4750-336 Barcelos
where we can play these and many other very fun games. 😊
