Games Kids Play
I love traditional games, and this particular website took me back to my childhood with lots of tag games, circle games and rhymes to go with jump rope.
Having spent time working with children and youth in many different countries, it is quite amazing to see that across languages and cultural boundaries, the same types of games are played all over the world. Recently, I have come across two resources that have inspired me to rediscover some of these games together with my two daughters. One is the book ‘Children’s Games in Street and Playground’ by Iona & Peter Opie (Oxford University Press 1969), and the other, more easily accessible - the website Games Kids Play. Here, one can find an amazing variety of fun, traditional games from all over the world, like this clapping game: “A sailor went to sea, sea, sea. To see what he could see, see, see. But all that he could see, see, see. Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.”. My 4 year old loves this one and can easily manage the clapping rhythm. Other tips from this site include Catch games, Tag games, Circle games, games for several teams and others for two people. The best part about these games is that most of them require very little equipment and preparation, and kids can quickly learn to do them on their own - as long as the parents don’t get too eager to participate…
I must admit that my memories are stronger than my jumping rope skills these days, so I happily stick to swinging the rope. Have fun exploring these games with your kids!
Comments
Love this - am a big fan of going back to basics
By Lisa Steyn on 16/04/2010 | Permalink
Join the community