Traditional Children’s Games: Games Played with Balls

In countries around the world, children love playing games with balls. Playing these games, they learn to handle the ball in different ways and develop special skills. In the process, they have a lot of fun. A student from Colombia describes a traditional game played in her country called Oba and a student from Mexico describes a traditional game called Keep the … Read more

The Yangko, A Traditional Dance from China

The Yangko Dance is a traditional Chinese folk dance created by the farmers when they worked in the rice field hundreds of years ago. Many Chinese people like the dance and take it as an important method of relaxing, no matter when there is a spring festival or when there are some special celebrations. Before … Read more

Traditional Children’s Games: Playing with Tops

In just about every country, children, especially boys, have played with tops. Usually, the object is to knock over the other players’ tops with your top or to knock them out of a circle. In Venezuela, the traditional top is made of wood. In Indonesia, a bamboo top whistles as it spins, and the object is to … Read more

Traditional Children’s Games: Hopscotch

Around the world, children have enjoyed drawing grids on the sidewalk or on the ground and then jumping or hopping from one end of the grid to the other. They draw different kinds of grids. Some are like the one in the photo. Others are round and curl in a circle. Still others are a … Read more

Traditional Children’s Games: Tag and Chase

In games of chase and tag, the object is to tag, or touch, other players who are then out of the game. Usually one player is ‘it’ and has to chase and tag the other players, one of whom then becomes the new person who is ‘it’ . In other versions, players must be tagged … Read more