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13+ Paper Games For Kids That’ll Give You All The Nostalic Growing-Up Feels

When you think of paper games, not much might come to mind at first. And, well, that’s likely because it’s been a while since you’ve played them — paper games very popular games back in elementary school and middle school. Really, the only reason for their downfall was the introduction of the smartphone, which proved much easier to carry than a spiral notebook. Paper games are a great way to find additional fun while you’re on a road trip or when you get rained out during a day of vacation. Folded paper games are also a blast and, c’mon, do you ever actually tire of playing them? Nope! Despite being created the old-fashioned way, paper games can change up constantly. They’re proof that all you need is your imagination and creative spirit to entertain your kiddos (and yourself, TBH).

Not sure which paper games for kids to try? Here are 10 your little ones will love. And if you have just as much fun playing these as your kiddo does, that’s a bonus.

Paper Games to Play at Home

1. Tic-Tac-Toe

This classic remains a favorite to play to this day. All you need to do is create a grid with two horizontal lines crossing two diagonal lines. Players take turns marking each box with an X or an O. The winner is the first to get three in a row. It’s not the most exciting of paper games to play, but it’s often a massive hit with younger kids. Perk? It can also help them excel logically.

2. Hangman

Another classic paper game, Hangman also has merit educationally for kids. But if you (the adult) want to play with friends, you can make the words funny private jokes between you. With kids, you can have fun by having them guess what’s for dinner or where you’re going this weekend.

2a. Snowman

If you’re looking for something a bit more cheerful for your little ones, we have a more upbeat version of it called Snowman. It has the same rules as Hangman; only instead of hanging a stick figure, you’ll draw a part of a snowman each time a letter is guessed incorrectly.

3. Dots and Boxes

To play Dots and Boxes, you need grid paper that’s filled with dots. Each player starts by connecting the dots. The goal is to turn those lines into squares — and when you close off a square, you put your initials in it. It’s a game of strategy that can turn into a real nail-biter.

4. MASH

By far, MASH is the most beloved of all nostalgic paper games. You start pretty loosely by writing “MASH” on top of your paper. (That stands for Mansion, Apartment, Shack, and House.) You can also list a bunch of potential suitors, either real people or celebrities. Other categories can include the number of kids the person will have, the type of vehicle they’ll drive, their occupation, and the towns they might inhabit. Ask the person you’re playing with to choose a number (and make it reasonable, like somewhere between 1 and 20.) Let’s say they pick the number six. You’ll then go down all of the rows and cross out where your sixth point lands. Eventually, there’ll be one clear winner from each category, and you can predict someone’s future.

5. Racetrack

If your kiddo is a super-fan of Lightning McQueen from Cars, then they might love Racetrack. “Cars” are represented by certain marks, like Xs and Os. Each player will mark on a squared piece of paper where their car is starting. Moves go from one grid point to the next, and players need to be strategic to avoid “crashing” off course.

6. Sprouts

Sprouts is a game that’s a bit less structured than Dots and Boxes, but you can easily compare the two. With Sprouts, the paper starts with a few dots on it. Each player makes a mark that can either be a connecting line between the dots or a completely new dot. The game ends when a player can no longer draw a connecting line between the free dots listed.

7. Word Finder

Have one player write six random letters on top of a piece of paper. Note: It’s vital to include at least one vowel. Set a timer. The player who manages to create the most words out of the letters listed wins.

8.

Paper Fortune Telling

This game may be a bit more complex than MASH, but it’ll bring you right back to your childhood just the same. Paper fortune-tellers were very popular in elementary school and a delightful distraction for any kid. If you’ve struggled with how to make paper games before, you could feel a bit intimidated by this one. Because, yes — the origami in making and folding the fortune teller can be a bit daunting at first. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll never forget.

9. Pictionary

Like to draw? Pictionary is the game for you! Have someone outside of the game think up funny situations, people, movies, pets, or anything to draw. Choose one and see how long it takes your family to guess it based on your interpretation.

10. Create-a-Story

This paper game is perfect for playing with three or more people at parties — the more people who want to play, the better the result will be. Start by writing two sentences down to start a story. Then, fold your paper so that the next person can’t see the first sentence. They’ll need to write a sentence next that they feel corresponds with the sentence they can see. That person will then fold over a sentence and pass it on. In the end, you get to read your story out loud and see if it makes any sense.

11. Categories

Have you ever played Scattegories? Well, this game has the same premise. Everyone splits their paper up into four categories which are chosen by the group. This includes names, animals, jobs, etc. Pick a letter at random and for one minute everyone writes down as many words as they can that fall under the chosen letter. When time is up, take turns reading what each person has and cross off any others had also written. The player with the most answers wins.

12.

Paper Telephone

Have everyone stand behind each other with a paper and pen. The person at the back of the line will draw a picture using the person’s back in front of them for support. Then that person will try to use the feeling on their back to recreate the same image on their paper using the person’s back in front of them. When the player at the front of the line is finished drawing, compare everyone’s picture to see if it’s like the first one.

13. Word scrambles

Choose a word and then jumble its letters together on a piece of paper. The first person to guess the word wins. You can even make things interesting by setting a time limit.

14. Sightless Drawings

Have you ever tried to write your name with your eyes closed? How about draw a picture? In this game, the drawer from each team is blindfolded and tasked with drawing a simple item like a bike or rocket ship. After drawing the picture, the images are presented before the judges without being labeled by the artists. This will prevent bias. And the most accurate picture wins.

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16 Easy Pen and Paper Games Your Family Will Love

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When you want to disconnect from your devices, or you’re all stuck at home, these easy pen and paper games are fun for everyone in your family.

Chatting, laughing, and playing free games with just pen and paper is a classic way to spend time as a family.

Whether you are on a holiday together, waiting for the doctor or stuck at home because of illness, the whole family will enjoy their drawing games for kids.

Easy Pen and Paper Games for All Ages

Grab a notebook and some pens and get ready for some old-fashioned fun games to play on paper.

A few of these games can be changed to be a one-player game.

But most of them are two-player or more.

A few of these drawing games on paper are fun to play with small groups or even parties of people.

Which of these games to play with pen and paper will you try first?

1. Spaceman

Do you remember playing the game called “hangman” as a kid?

A less deadly and more kid-friendly version of this game is spaceman.

The rules are the same, but you aren’t drawing a stick figure hanging from a noose.

How to play:

One player thinks of a word and writes one dash for each letter in the word on a piece of paper.

The other players guess letters.

If they get a letter correctly, the first player writes it where it goes.

If that person guesses a letter that isn’t in the word, that letter is written above and the head of the spaceman is drawn on the paper.

Players keep trying to guess letters.

They win if they can guess the entire word before the other player finishes a complete spaceman.

It’s one of our favourite two person pencil and paper games.

2. Boxes

Looking for games for two people?

This is a very popular paper-and-pencil game.

You can make it take longer to finish by drawing more dots on the paper.

You may know it as a different name when looking for paper games for kids – ie the dot game.

How to play:

This game requires at least two players but can be played with more.

You basically draw dots and then each player takes turns connecting two dots with a straight line.

The first person to make a complete square puts their initials in the box.

Play continues until the last two dots are connected.

Players get 1 point per box.

The player with the most points at the end wins.

3. Battleship

The popular board game can be changed and become one of the most fun paper and pencil games for two.

How to play:

Each player sets up a grid with letters and numbers.

Then, they place their “ships” on the grid.

Just like the board game, each player takes turns calling out positions to strike the player’s ships.

You can draw your own grid, or use a free printable version.

4. Categories

Have you ever heard of the board game or game show “categories”?

This is the paper and pencil game version.

This is one of the most fun pen and paper games for groups, but you can also play this with as few as two people.

How to play:

Decide on four categories.

Then, pick a letter.

Set a timer for 2 minutes. In those 2 minutes, try to think of as many words in your set categories that start with your chosen letter.

When the timer beeps, players take turns reading the words they chose.

Cross off any words that other players used too.

The player with the most words that no one else had will get one point for each word.

5. Mastermind or “Bulls and Cows”

This is a really fun guessing game that is best for older children.

This paper game takes a little more thinking and strategy than a few of the others.

How to play:

One player, “it” writes down a secret 4-digit number.

Then, the other players try to guess the number.

After each guess, the person that’s “it” tells them how many digits are correct and in the right position and how many digits are correct but in the wrong place.

Players keep making guesses until they are able to guess the 4 digit number correctly.

Want to make it tougher?

Limit the number of guesses the players have.

6. Paper Soccer

Paper soccer is a game that involves a bit of strategy.

The goal is to be the first player to get the soccer ball into their goal.

You only get one move, unless you are able to bounce the ball off another line or the side of the board.

To draw the borders for this game, it will save you lots of time if you just use graph paper.

How to play:

This is another way to connect lines and dots, with the goal to reach your goal.

It’s a two-player game.

First, set up the game with dots, one goal at each end, and lines around the edge to mark the boundaries of the field.

The ball starts out in the middle of the paper.

Each player can only connect two dots with one line.

However, if the “ball” (or dot) hits the side boundaries or a current line, that player gets to go again.

The first player to reach their goal wins.

7. Nested Tic Tac Toe

This activity takes the noughts and crosses game and kicks it up a notch.

Ultimate tic-tac-toe takes a lot longer to play and has a few more rules.

How to play:

First, you have to have one large tic-tac-toe board where each grid or square contains a smaller board.

X goes first and can place their x anywhere on the board.

The O player then must play in the grid corresponding with where the x played.

Look at where the “x” player moved, then compare that to the larger board and that’s the area where the O has to move.

Then, X has to play based on where O was played.

Play continues in this manner.

When someone gets 3-in-a-row in one of the smaller boards, they get to place a large X or O on that board.

Players continue playing until there are three large Xs or Os in a row.

8. Blind Drawing

There are lots of different blind drawing games.

All of them are laughter-inducing games perfect for parties and small groups of people.

How to play:

In one variation, player 1 takes a piece of paper and draws a simple picture on the back of player 2.

Then, player 2 attempts to guess what player 1 drew by drawing in themselves.

Another way to play this is player 1 calls out directions to the rest of the players.

With their eyes closed (or blindfolded) these players attempt to follow these directions.

Then, at the end, everyone laughs when they see what they drew.

9. Finish the Doodle

This could easily be a one player game.

It’s also really quiet, doesn’t require any talking or conversation.

If you are looking for quiet pen and paper games for one, this is perfect.

How to play:

One person draws a random doodle on a piece of paper.

The other person has to use this doodle to create a complete picture.

There are other variations you can do.

You can take turns drawing different parts of the picture.

This could result in some really fun portraits!

To play it by yourself, start out with a silly, nonsensical doodle and attempt to create something recognizable out of it.

10. Finish the Story

The only thing you need for this story is a pencil and a piece of paper.

By the time the game is over, the story will be so funny and strange that you will want to play it again and see what else you all can come up with.

How to play:

One person writes a sentence of a story.

Then, they hand the paper to the next person, who continues this sentence.

Then, they fold the paper over so only the last sentence is visible and pass it along to the next person in line.

Play continues like this until the paper is filled, time is up, or they decide to end it and read the story.

This can last as long as you let it.

11. Sim

The sim pen and paper game is for two players.

It involves lines and triangles and it’s a lot of fun to play this game with your kids.

How to play:

The goal is to avoid being the first person to draw a complete triangle in their color.

First, set up the game board.

Draw a hexagon, with a dot at each corner.

Then, draw lines connecting each dot to each other.

After you draw the lines, you are ready to play the game.

Players should use different colored highlighters or markers to make this game easier to play.

Players take turns coloring one line at a time.

The first player to create an entire triangle out of their color loses.

12. SOS

Looking for games like tic tac toe?

This game is similar but it has a larger board and more chances to gain points.

How to play:

The goal is to be the player that connects the most SOS patterns.

You can make the grid as large or as small as you want.

Players take turns writing either an S or an O in a spot on the grid.

If a player makes an SOS sequence, they use a marker to highlight it in their color and take another turn.

Game ends when the paper is completely filled.

The player that has the most SOS sequences wins the game.

13. Sprouts

Sprouts is a game of curved lines and dots.

The goal is to be the last player to be able to draw a line without intersecting other lines.

How to play:

Start out by drawing anywhere from 2-6 dots randomly on the paper.

The first player draws a line – straight or curved, doesn’t matter – from one dot to another.

It can even curve around from one dot and end on that same dot.

They finish their turn by placing another dot somewhere on the line they just drew.

Then, the next player draws a line between two dots and puts another dot on their new line.

Play continues in this pattern – but remember, lines cannot cross or intersect.

And one dot can only have a maximum of 3 lines connecting to it.

When one player is stuck and unable to move, the other player wins!

14. Balderdash

This is one of the most fun pen and paper games for groups.

How funny or creative are you?

It’s all about trying to get people to believe made-up definitions of words.

It will have everyone laughing!

How to play:

Create fake definitions of strange real words.

Players get a point for every person they get to vote on their definition.

You can find strange words by searching for “free balderdash game word list.”

Here’s a list to get you started.

Balderdash is one of our favourite paper games for adults.

15. Beetle

This pen and paper game requires one more thing to play – a die.

This is such a simple game that children as young as 5 will be able to play along.

How to play:

You need a die to play this game.

Each number on the die represents a part of the beetle.

Start out by drawing the different parts of the beetle and assigning a number to it.

Players take turns rolling the die and drawing the part of the beetle they roll.

The person that finishes the beetle first wins.

16. How To Play Join 5

Start with a square of 4×4 dots, with a rectangle of 4×3 added to each side.

Each player takes a turn drawing a straight line that is exactly five dots long while bearing in mind that:

  • No part of the new line can retrace any portion of a previously drawn line
  • Exactly one of the five dots covered by the new line is missing from the grid before the line is drawn. This missing dot (which can be at either end of the new line, or somewhere in the middle) is also drawn during the turn.

The game ends when no more segments can be drawn on the grid.

You can play join five alone or against an opponent.

When To Play Easy Pen and Paper Games

There are lots of times when games with pen and paper can be useful.

They’re perfect for when you don’t have any cellphone signal or the batteries are dying.

Some of the best places to play these games include:

  • On car road trips
  • Stuck at home due to illness
  • On an aeroplane
  • In the library
  • In a waiting room

It’s also fun to declare a night of low-tech fun.

There aren’t any screens and your entertainment can only come from humble paper and pen games.

Finding paper games to play breaks up repetitive habits and can feel like a whole new experience.

More Fun Family Activities

Spending time together doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.

Here are some more entertaining and fun things you can do as a family, right here in London.

  • 70+ Things To Do With Teens In London
  • London’s Best Family-Friendly Afternoon Tea
  • The Best Spas For Kids + Teens in London

What are your favourite games you can play on paper?

What Are Board Games - The Best Classification (2021)

All people love to play! Doubt? Perhaps you just haven't met "your" game yet? After all, there are so many varieties of board games, and it’s quite difficult to choose a really interesting board game for children, adults, and a big fun company! Someone is guided in this matter by personal preferences, someone chooses the first thing that catches their eye, but we suggest you approach shopping fully armed, and the current classification of board games from the experts of the Nosorog. net.ua online store will help you with this. !

  • Classic board games
  • Intellectual board games
  • Board games walkers (fermentations)
  • Board logical games (puzzles)
  • Board games
  • Psychological board games
  • Economic board games
  • Boarding adventure board games
  • Educational board games
  • Sports board games
  • Strategy board games
  • Mobile board games
  • Card board games
  • Travel board games

Classic

Classic is always in style! and it is not only about elements of a classic wardrobe or items of antique value. More than one generation of players knows the rules of classic board games, so they can be played in childhood, young, and adulthood.

What are the classic board games for two? "Chess", "Checkers", "Domino", "Backgammon" and many more exciting game sets will help you spend time together. But in "Jenga" or "Lotto" it is much more interesting to play with a company!

Intellectual

Do you want to increase your IQ or show your friends and relatives your intellectual abilities? Is a little child prodigy growing up in the family? Then it's time to get a couple of smart desktops!

What are the board games that promote intellectual development? All sorts of quizzes, timeless classics, game sets based on famous TV shows for "experts". It remains only to choose the option that best suits your needs!

Walkers

What board games are there for the whole family? All kinds of walkers immediately come to mind, which have won many fans among children and adults. They will help kids develop fine motor skills of little fingers, and parents will have fun with their child, distract from everyday worries.

Entertaining walkers can be based on the plot of popular cartoons, fairy tales, allow kids and their parents to try on the role of brave travelers, favorite cartoon characters, feel the triumph of victory, going the fastest all the way - from Start to Finish!

Logic (puzzles)

Sometimes it happens that you want to escape from everyday tasks, but there is no way to organize a collective game. Then exciting puzzles come to our aid, many of which are designed for one player.

When we hear the question - what are the board games for the development of logical thinking? The classic multi-move "Chess", "Backgammon", developing game sets for kids, immediately come to mind. In fact, manufacturers annually present hundreds of new logic boards for children and adults. Moreover, it can be either completely new game plots or original interpretations of the classics. For example, on sale you can find many types of the legendary Rubik's Cube, over which our grandparents puzzled with pleasure!

Gambling

Throwing yourself into gambling with your family or close friends is a much safer activity than visiting a casino or gambling club! Would you like to play cards? Or maybe a poker game? You can buy game sets for every taste in a few clicks!

Manufacturers also offer a wide variety of gambling table games for children, among which all kinds of "lotos" dominate, which perform not only an entertaining, but also an educational function!

Psychological

"Mafia" is a legendary psychological game with a criminal plot, which for several decades has been steadily becoming a sales leader in different countries, gained particular popularity at the end of the last century in the USA, from where it began its triumphant march around the planet. Civilians, dangerous mafiosi led by the don, sheriffs - do you want to try on these roles? Then it's time to buy the right game paraphernalia. Moreover, manufacturers offer Mafia sets adapted even for elementary school students!

The range of psychological board games is actually much wider. Do you like to experience the possibilities of your psyche? Pay attention to "Imaginarium", "Cluedo", "EGO", etc. , mathematics, natural history). Educational type of board games to help you!

Now not only kids can learn by playing, but also primary school students and even teenagers! Many educational boards are specially designed as a supplement to teaching aids in general education subjects. But do not forget that these are, first of all, games that help you to have fun with your family or peers, combining business with pleasure!

Economic

Do you want to learn how to manage resources and get the most out of your actions, instill in your child the skills of handling money, rational budget allocation? Economic board games, of course, are not a panacea for all ills and not a business textbook, but by playing the same Monopoly, you can understand the basics of economic doctrine and even consolidate your skills in practice!

What are economic board games other than Monopoly? Have you already mastered the legendary game and want to discover something new? We recommend paying attention to the "Manager" and "Super Farmer" desktops. Who knows, maybe they will help you or your child to discover a previously unmanifested entrepreneurial vein, the talent of an organizer or speaker!

Adventure

Do you want to go on an exciting adventure with your family or friends, but in real life it is not possible to realize your plan? No problem! Adventure board games will help you immerse yourself in the appropriate atmosphere without leaving your own home!

You can choose adventures for every taste: sail the seas or oceans, go on an expedition to distant lands, conquer the expanses of space with your cheerful team, discover a new "face" of the urban jungle.

Educational

What are some board games for young children? Sooner or later, every caring mother begins to ask herself this question. Fortunately, manufacturers of children's play sets offer a variety of board games that contribute to the development of fine motor skills of fingers, reaction speed, logical thinking, memory, attention, coordination of movements, and other useful skills.

So, the game "Embroidery without a needle" will help to reveal the ability for creativity and needlework in a little princess. Sets for games with counting sticks will simplify the task of mastering the basics of arithmetic. The "Shapes, Sizes and Colors" table will help from an early age to teach a child to distinguish between geometric shapes, shades of the color spectrum.

Sports

Do you think that sports can only be practiced in an equipped gym, on a tennis court, football or volleyball fields? By no means! Board sports games are compact in size, and if you wish, you can easily find a game set that will not clutter up the space of a small apartment, and will bring a lot of positive emotions to children and adults.

A table tennis set, for example, you can take with you to the country house, or take it with you for a walk in the yard. A semi-professional football table will allow small and big fans of this sport to arrange home competitions. Who knows, maybe you will be the one to score the decisive goal!

Strategic

The typology of board games would not be complete without a variety of strategies that make the brain work for the result, teach you to analyze situations, make the right decisions and achieve your goals.

Fans of war games will appreciate the strategic board game "Game of the Century", and young fashionistas will like the game "Glamour". Looking for a strategic board game that can captivate all family members? Pay attention to the "Flags of the World"!

Mobile

Board games can be not only smart, educational, strategic, but also mobile! And a striking example of this is the "Super Twister", which can stir up any company, make adults and small participants perform breathtaking steps and demonstrate miracles of flexibility on a large playing field!

What are outdoor board games for young children? There are also a lot of them - "Fishing" (great entertainment for a children's holiday), "Twisterok" (promotes the development of flexibility, fine motor skills of fingers) and many others.

Card

Classic and special decks of playing cards allow you to master a lot of gambling and entertaining games, and even come up with your own game, the rules of which will be known only to a narrow circle of initiates.

UNO and its numerous varieties occupy a special place among modern card tabletops. Participants of a children's or adult party will appreciate the Elias game set, which will help organize an exciting activity for a large company, discover unexpected talents of the participants.

On the road

Are you going to travel by train, bus or your own car? Road tables will help you and your fellow travelers not get bored on the road. On sale you can find both mini and magnetic versions of popular games, as well as exciting new items.

Boys of all ages will not miss the opportunity to play Sea Battle on the road. For talkative and active girls, Elias is perfect. And it will be interesting for the little ones, under the strict control of their mother, to perform simple tasks of magnetic walkers, to cope with exciting puzzles.

All board games for the home collection: a list of the best board games TOP-15

What types of board games for adults and children should be purchased this year (maybe many of them are already in your home collection)? We have selected our "favorites" from each category, and we are sure that you will like them:

    • Chess (classic).
    • CORTEX CHALLENGE (intelligent).
    • "Space panda" (walker).
    • "Scrabble" MATTEL (puzzle).
    • Simba Lotto (gambling). (puzzle).
    • "Mafia" (psychological).
    • "Logical alphabet" (training).
    • "Super Farmer" (economic).
    • "Urban adventures" (adventure).
    • "Shapes, sizes and colors" (educational).
    • Table football (sports). 9 Top

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      Armenian School of Animation

      The most rebellious cartoons of the Soviet Union

      Dina Goder’s collection of cartoons

      The program director of the Big Cartoon Festival advises what to watch with a child

      Cartoons about art

      How to tell children about art

      40 riddles about everything in the world

      What burns without fire and who has a sieve in his nose: riddles from "Chizh", "Hedgehog" and books by Marshak and Chukovsky

      Yard games

      "Traffic light", "Stander", "Ringlet" and other games for a large company

      Poems that are interesting to learn by heart

      What to choose if you were asked to learn a poem about mother, New Year or autumn

      Old audio performances for children

      "Ole Lukoye", "The Gray Sheika", "Cinderella" and other interesting Soviet recordings

      Cartoons with classical music

      How animation works with the music of Tchaikovsky, Verdi and Glass

      How children's counting rhymes work

      "Ene, bene, slave, kvanter, manter, toad": what does it all mean

      the end of the 20th century - and you can play now

      Prepared by Maria Gavrilova

      Children play in the country. Moscow Region, 1965 © RIA Novosti

      Traffic Light

      Two lines are drawn on the site at a distance of 3-6 meters from each other - a road passes between them. The driver - a traffic light - stands in the middle of the road and cannot go beyond the lines. The rest are in front of the first line, and their task is to go to the other side, that is, to be behind the opposite line. The traffic light stands with its back to the players and thinks of a color: for example, it announces that only red is allowed on the other side. Each player starts looking for some red thing on himself; its size and purpose are not important, and even a small spot on the pattern can be red. After some time (for example, counting to ten), the driver turns around, and those who managed to find the right color show it to the traffic light and calmly cross the road. Everyone else is trying to run across to the other side, and the traffic light catches them. The one he caught becomes the new traffic light. It makes sense for the driver to name unusual colors - lilac, turquoise, etc.: then there will be more of those who cannot find such a color on themselves - and he will be able to catch the player to replace him.

      Shtander

      A half-forgotten game from the repertoire of pioneer camps. Judging by the name (most likely from Ständer! - “Stop!”), It is borrowed from a German game collection. The game requires a ball. A large circle is drawn on the ground - all participants must fit in it. Then one person tosses the ball, calling the name of any other player. Everyone scatters in different directions, and the named player drives. He catches or quickly picks up the ball from the ground, after which he shouts: "Shtander!" - and everyone else should stop. The driver needs to knock someone out with the ball: he chooses his target (usually the player who is closest to him), takes three steps in his direction and tries to hit. He can cheat and step in one direction, and throw the ball in the other so that the unsuspecting player does not have time to dodge. If the driver hit, then the “beaten” person receives a penalty point, if not, the penalty point is counted to the thrower. In the next horse, the same driver tosses the ball and calls the name of the player who will take his place. At the end of the game, the points are added up, and the one who scored the least is declared the winner.

      Potato

      Players stand in a wide circle and throw the ball to each other. You can’t hold it in your hands: the ball is a hot potato! Those who could not hold the ball in their hands and let it fall to the ground also turn into "potatoes": they go to the center of the circle and squat there. The rest of the players from time to time "spud" them, that is, they throw the ball at the sitting ones (it is better to agree on the force of the blow before the game). The potato needs to catch the ball from the fly - but you can’t stand up to your full height, you can only jump up without straightening your knees. If it was possible to catch the ball, the potato again stands in a circle, and the player on whose throw the ball was caught takes its place in the center.

      Children play with a ball outside. Moscow, 1959 © RIA Novosti

      “I know five names”

      The first player beats the ball off the ground with his hand, saying at the same time: “I know five names of girls: Katya, Tanya, Sveta, Olya, Yulia ...” You need to speak quickly and rhythmically, each word should have a hand on the ball. If the player didn’t get lost, he continues: “I know five names of boys: Vanya, Kolya, Petya, Sasha, Misha ...” Then you can continue to name five pieces of everything that comes to mind in the same way: the names of cities, rivers, animals, trees, birds, car brands (some determine the sequence in advance, someone creates it on the go). If a player loses the ball, makes a mistake, or thinks up a variant for too long, then the ball is passed to the second player, and he starts over: “I know five names of girls ...” Repeating the same names and names is not interesting! When the ball, having made a circle, returns to the first player, he starts from the topic on which he lost. You can play "I know ..." not only with a company, but also together and even alone.

      "Twelve Sticks"

      One of the varieties of hide-and-seek, but with an interesting complication. Before the start of the game, the participants choose a driver and build a special structure: a board is laid on a stone, brick or other object of a suitable size so that one end of it lies on the ground, and the other is raised up. Twelve small sticks are placed on the lower end of the board (you can use pencils or brushwood), and then, using the board as a lever, one of the participants scatters them. While the driver collects sticks, the players hide. Further, as in standard hide-and-seek, he goes to look for those who have hidden and, if he finds it, knocks, that is, runs to the base. and yelling something like "Knock-knock for Petya!". The essence of the complication is that here, during the search, one must not forget to guard the structure of sticks: the discovered player can run to the board before the driver and destroy everything (while he must shout: “I broke it!”). Any other player can do the same if he notices from cover that no one is guarding the base. If the sticks are scattered, then the driver must stop searching and re-install the structure, and the one who scattered the sticks and the rest of the players hide at this time. It is quite difficult to get rid of the role of the driver in such a game.

      Ring

      This game is very old, it has been known as Burying Gold since at least the beginning of the 19th century, but most likely existed much earlier. The game "Bury Gold" was part of the circle of Christmas entertainments for young people, especially girls: the song that accompanied the action was filled with marriage images (terem, viburnum-raspberry, light brown braid, the ring hitting a young nobleman)  The text of the song was, for example, this : “I am already gold / I am burying, I am burying, / Pure silver / I am saving. / I'm in the father's tower, in the tower, / I'm at the mother's high, high. / Fell, fell the ring / In viburnum-raspberry, / Blackcurrant; / I found a ring / Yes, with a nobleman, / Yes, with a young man / On the right hand, / On the right little finger. / Guess, guess, maiden, / In which hand was the girl, / Walking across the field, / Braiding Rus’ braid, / Braiding with silk, / Prevailing with gold, / The girl guessed, but did not guess. / You are my girlfriends, you are mine, you are mine, / You say, don’t hide, / Give me my gold: / My mother will beat me / Three in the morning, four at a time, / Three golden rods, / Four pearls. / The girls guessed, but did not guess; / Lord nobles, guess for yourself "(A.V. Balov. "Russian round dance". Round dance games in the Yaroslavl province / Northern Bulletin. St. Petersburg, 1889. No. 6). and could be performed during divination. By the end of the 20th century, the game had lost its long song, its connection with Christmas time, and its magical meaning, leaving only the action and the name of the game object — the ring. Although the ring is not necessary: ​​the "Ring" can be played with any small object - a coin, a button, a paper clip, etc. The participants sit in a row, fold their palms like shell doors, and hold them in front of them. The driver, who has a “ring” in his hands folded in the same way, approaches each one in turn and lowers his hands into the hands of the player. He puts a “ring” in the hands of one of the players, trying to do it unnoticed. The one who got the "ring" also tries not to give himself away. The rest, in turn, look carefully, noticing who is behaving unusually and suspiciously. After all the players have been bypassed, the driver steps aside and says: “Ring-ring, go out on the porch!” The player with the "ring" quickly jumps up and runs towards him. Other players, especially if they have understood in advance who has the “ring”, try to grab it and keep it in place. If the player with the "ring" manages to escape, then he leads in the next horse, if not, the previous player remains the driver.

      On the playground. 1981 © Vitaly Karpov / RIA Novosti

      Vodyanoy

      A variety of blind man's buffalo, which is suitable for limited yard spaces - a delineated area, a plot in front of a house with a fence. Players choose a driver - water. He squats down, blindfolds and hides his face in his knees, the rest put their hands on his head and walk around with the words: “Water-waterman, why are you sitting under water? Come out for a minute, for one second!” After reading the rhyme, everyone scatters in different directions, and the driver gets up and shouts: “Stop!” Players freeze in the place where the team caught them and must not leave it. Trying to dodge the hands of the driver, they can squat, lean in different directions, stand on one leg. Having grabbed the player, the driver must recognize him by touch and call him by name. The caught player leads the next horse. The merman with his eyes closed searches for players based on sounds, so the players try to stay as quiet as possible, without panting or laughing (which is quite difficult!).

      Bouncers

      Dodgeball is one of the most popular school games, it is even sometimes played in physical education classes. Two drivers stand on opposite edges of the court and throw the ball (it is better that the ball is not very heavy), trying to hit the players moving freely between them. If the driver manages to knock out the player, he is out of the game. The last player left on the field must dodge the ball as many times as his age plus one. If successful, the whole team returns to the site. If they hit him, the player changes with the driver who knocked him out. According to other rules, the knocked-out player does not leave the field, but immediately changes with the one who made a successful throw. The game also has a number of interesting details and complications (figures or pictures). For example, a “candle”: if a player managed to catch the ball from the summer, he gets an extra life and, when knocked out, has the right to stay on the field; The "candle" can be transferred to another and thus returned to the field of a team member. Also, the drivers, when making a throw, can give the players a task: "bomb" - and everyone squats and moves while sitting, "wall" - line up, "stream" - stand one after another, legs apart, and the ball rolls between the legs of the players , etc.

      Confusion

      The leader steps aside and turns away. Participants stand in a circle facing each other, hold hands and begin to get entangled: someone crawls under other people's hands, someone steps over the neighbor's hands, someone turns around himself - all this must be done without disengaging. After the players decide that they are confused enough - usually at the same time they are already standing close to each other, intertwining their arms and legs - the driver is called, who must unravel them. It is necessary to unravel so that the knot turns back into a circle, while the hands of the players cannot be disengaged. The meaning of the game is more in the interest than in the victory of the driver or "confused", therefore it is recommended to give the driver hints. In some cases, if the chain of players breaks when unraveling, they scatter and the leader catches them, as in a catch-up.

      Children on the school playground. England, 20th Century © Hulton-Deutsch Collection / Corbis / Getty Images

      Grandma's Pantaloons

      Participants sit in a row. The driver tells, writing on the go, a story, for example, this: “I got up early this morning, looked out the window, and in the sky ...” - at the key moment he falls silent, giving the floor to one of the players in turn. Players must say the same thing every time - "grandmother's pantaloons":

      - I washed, dressed in ...
      - ... grandmother's pantaloons.
      - And went for a walk. I came to the forest, and there on the tree...
      - ... grandmother's pantaloons.

      And so on. In another version, the driver does not tell, but asks the players questions in turn:

      - What do you have in your briefcase?
      - Grandma's pantaloons.

      At the same time, none of the players should laugh - this is quite difficult. The one who laughed replaces the driver and leads the story on.

      Cossack robbers

      This game has been known since at least the middle of the 19th century. It had different names (“Cossacks and Bashkirs”, “Russians and Chechens”, etc.), but the essence of the game both in the 19th and in the 20th century came down to approximately the same thing: the participants are divided into two teams, one of which it hides, and the second one searches for and attacks those who hid. In the most famous version, the Cossack-robbers look like team hide and seek: the searching team (Cossacks) counts down the time, while the other (robbers) comes up with a secret password and runs away, leaving traces along the way - arrows drawn in chalk on the asphalt, indicating the direction of their movement. Those who run away try to confuse their rivals: they draw arrows very pale, in inconspicuous places; at crossroads they draw a cross with four arrows so that the pursuers do not know where to turn. The robbers hide for 10-15 minutes, during this time the Cossacks determine the dungeon - the place where they will torture the other team in order to find out the password (it is worth agreeing on the methods of torture in advance: the most humane thing is to tickle or force to squat). If the Cossacks find out the password, they win. According to some rules, the captured robbers can be released: members of one team attack the Cossack guard and hold him, the captives scatter (the guard can scream and call for help). Such a variant of the game is also known: the password word is guessed by the number of robbers (for example, 7 players - 7 letters), each is given a letter. The robber in the dungeon is obliged to tell the Cossacks his letter, and recovering the password becomes easier and more interesting.

      Olympics

      You can jump into the rubber band, or you can play the "Olympiad" with it. Two people hold the rubber band from different sides and tangle it by crossing their arms, stepping on their feet and saying: “Oh-lim-pee-a-da, eat three I-yes, finish, start!” The result is a design that resembles a laser alarm. The rest of the participants must take turns climbing through the largest holes without touching the rubber bands. The one who touches takes the place of any of the players holding and confusing rubber bands.

      Kindergarten group on a walk. Primorsky Territory, 1979 © Boris Kavashkin / RIA Novosti

      Boyars

      This game combined two old amusements: from the game "Boyars" from rural and merchant youth parties a song appeared, and from the boyish "Forged Chains" (another name is "Shackles") - action. Both children and adults participate in the game with great pleasure, primarily because of the funny text (in the traditional "Boyars" it is less funny - Boyars! Yes, why did you come? / Young people, why did you come?
      - Princesses! yes we are brides to watch! / Young, yes we are brides to watch!
      - Boyars! show the groom, / Young, show the groom.
      - Princesses! in all our fiance! / Young, in all our fiance.
      - Boyars! show the caftan, / Young people, show the caftan.
      - Princesses! in all our caftan! / Young, in all our caftan.
      - Boyars! show the sash! / Young, show the sash!
      - Princesses! in all our sash! / Young, in all our sash.
      - Boyars! Show me your boots, / Young people, show me your boots.
      - Princesses! in this is our boot, / Young people, in all our boot.
      - Boyars! say hello! / Young, with the whole train! (E. A. Avdeeva. Notes and remarks about Siberia: with the application of old Russian songs. M., 1837 ). ). The participants of the game are divided into two equal teams, which stand in two lines opposite each other, the players hold hands. The teams begin to sing a question-answer song (in chorus, in turn) and alternately take several steps towards the opponents, then the same number - in the opposite direction. On the question, one team goes towards, on the answer - the second. First team starts:

      - Boyars, and we have come to you! (They go ahead. ) Young people, and we have come to you! (They go back.)
      - Boyars, why did you come? (They go ahead.) Young people, why have you come? (They go back.)
      "Boyars, we need a bride!" Young, we need a bride!
      - Boyars, what do you need? Young, what do you need?
      "Boyars, we need this one!" (They point to one of the players of the other team, agree in advance which one; gender does not matter.) Young, we need this one!
      - Boyars, she is a fool with us! Young, she is a fool with us!
      - Boyars, and we will give a gingerbread! Young, and we will give a gingerbread!
      - Boyars, her teeth hurt! Young, her teeth hurt!
      - Boyars, and we will take you to the doctor! Young, and we will take you to the doctor!
      "Boyars, she'll kill the doctor!" Young, she will beat the doctor!
      - Boyars, and we are her whip! Young, and we are her whip!
      "Boyars, she's afraid of whips!" Young, she is afraid of whips!
      - Boyars, don't play the fool, give us the bride forever!

      After these words, the selected player runs up and tries to break through the clasped hands of opponents. If he succeeds, he can take one of the strangers to his team, if not, he himself joins another team (“gets married”). The team with only one player left lost.

      Banks

      The ancestor of this game is the old game "Fly" (other names are "Wad", "Klek"), in which the participants had to knock down a specially carved figure, a wooden ball and similar objects from a delineated area or a small wooden post with sticks. In "Banks" one or more empty cans stacked on top of each other or empty plastic bottles are used as a target. A driver stands near the structure, his duty is to bring and re-install items after each knocking down. Players take turns throwing a medium-sized stick at the jars. After each throw, the player runs after the stick, and the driver must stop the running player. If he succeeds, the player and the driver switch roles. A successfully knocked down construction gives the player running after the stick an advantage: before kicking, the driver must collect and set the scattered cans or bottles in their place. If the throw is unsuccessful, the player can postpone the run after the stick until a successful throw by some other player, in which case there will be two or more runners. In some versions, players receive bonus points for each successful throw and run for a stick - they move forward towards the structure along pre-drawn lines, each of which indicates some rank: soldier, lieutenant, general, etc. Shoot down the structure and run behind a stick from more "status" lines is not only more honorable, but also easier.

      See also the material "How children's rhymes work".  

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