17 old games your kids need to learn

Is there something children like to do more than play? No matter the age, whether it is day, night, rain or shine, without a doubt the activity considered most important by children is play. And it is by playing that the child learns to be a person, to live in society, to count, to jump, to create, that is, everything ends up being a training for various aspects of his life.

The diversity of games is fundamental and the luck is that children have the ability to have fun with little. But in recent times, a great villain for backyard games has emerged: the massive existence of electronic paraphernalia that hold the attention of little ones with lights, sounds and moving images.

However, excluding the child’s technology is also not recommended. Balance remains the best option in these cases.

It is worth remembering that it is not just the computer that entertains and that not only the tablet evolves the little ones. Outdoor, playful games that require creativity, physical movement and interaction with other children help a lot in psychological, social and motor development.

According to Sônia Meri Roders, Pedagogical Coordinator at Escola Barão do Rio Branco in Blumenau (SC), “old games are of great help in children’s development. In addition to body development, they are essential for physical, emotional and intellectual health. Through them, children develop their language, thinking, social interaction, learning to live together and respect each other”.

Old toys that kids will love

Do you remember your games as a child and how much fun you had with them? How about introducing them into your children’s lives and providing them with all that joy and magic of traditional games? Here are some games for you to remember and share this great legacy with your children:

Toys to stimulate motor coordination

1. French fries: With his back to the rest of the group, a child, who will be the potato, says very loudly: “French fries one, two, three!”. During this sentence, the other children try to approach the potato, but they have to freeze as soon as it finishes talking and turn to face them. If anyone gets caught moving, they’re out, and the first one who can get the little potato child on the back wins.

2. Jump rope: There are several modalities for this game, where children follow what is said by the music. One of the most classic songs is “A man knocked on my door and I opened it. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands on the floor. Ladies and gentlemen, hop on one foot. Ladies and gentlemen, take a spin and go to the street (when the child has to get off the rope without touching it)!”

3. Hula hoop: That colorful plastic circle has the power to entertain children of all ages for a long time, even the smallest ones who can’t turn the rim well. At the waist, with hip movements, wrists or neck, the hula hoop will teach children a lot about the body.

4. Hopscotch: An easy game that involves several learnings. With a crayon or piece of charcoal, draw the hopscotch on the floor. The houses are numbered and the “sky” can be colored. Going through the entire hopscotch path will require children a lot of balance and motor coordination.

5. Bobinho: A ball and at least three people are required. One child will be the dummy and has to catch the ball while the others throw it to each other. Whoever plays and has the ball seized by the fool will be the fool of the turn.

6. Five Marias: With just five stones, you can assemble a challenging game from the time of great-grandmothers. The game consists of throwing one of the stones up and picking up another one on the ground before the one that was thrown falls into your hand. It can be played in different ways with the idea that it gets more and more difficult.

7. Soap bubble: A magical game that encourages little ones to direct the air and control the diaphragm. And you don’t even need to buy the industrialized model – despite being very cheap – a glass of water and detergent and a straw will solve the game.

Toys to stimulate creativity

8. Cirandas: There are many songs, each with its own cultural origin and with different movements that must be followed by children. “Singing games, even without the use of materials, develop creativity, reasoning, memory, musical perception, broad motor coordination and favor interaction and sociability”, adds pedagogical coordinator Sônia Meri Roders.

9. Dough: Modeling clay stimulates creativity in a simple and fun way. The more colors, the greater the child’s interest in creating different shapes and objects. It is suitable for any age, it will stimulate the ability to create and exercise the most detailed movements of the fingers.

10. Treasure Hunt: Hide a prize (can be candy, money, any gift) somewhere in the house or garden. After choosing the hiding place, choose other places in the house to hide clues in papers that lead to the treasure.

11. Strength: The child chooses a word and represents it on paper with just the lines corresponding to each letter. The other person tries to guess the word ‘kicking’ one letter at a time. With each mistake, a piece of a puppet appears on the gallows until it is fully complete or the word is discovered.

12. Mimicry: This game can be played anywhere. A child alone or in a group decides on an object, animal, film or anything else that will be staged and written down on paper. The other group of children has to guess the chosen word.

Toys to encourage socializing

13. Burning: Good game to practice throwing and speed while joining children in groups. Divided on two sides of any space, the teams try to throw and hit the children of the other team with a ball. When someone is hit they go to ‘prison’. The team that hits all the members of the other wins.

14. Skip carrion: The children stand in rows, crouching with their hands on their knees. One by one, the children jump on their friends’ backs and return to the starting position just ahead.

15. Flag pick: The group is divided similarly to the dodgeball, into two teams. But this time the objective is to capture the flag of the other group that is protected in the background. If the child trying to get past the opposing team is touched by rivals, he will be frozen in place until a friend from the same team thaws him.

16. Hide and seek: One of the most famous games of all time, hide and seek is suitable for all ages. A child counts to 10 while the other friends hide.

17. Pass ring: The children sit in a circle and one of them will be in the center with the ring. The other children’s hands are closed in a cup shape. The child with the ring will pretend to place it in each participant’s hands. In the end, we try to find out who really has the ring.

The number of games that were invented and passed from generation to generation until reaching the current ones is infinite. It is the role of parents to transmit this knowledge to children, encouraging the maintenance of such cultural baggage that is only good for them.