Kids traditional stories

10 Best Classic Fairy Tales For Your Kids

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” ― Albert Einstein.

Fairy tales often take people to the sweet memory lane of their childhood. The memories of magic, dragons, and evilness getting defeated never fail to bring a smile to our faces. 

Reading or listening to classic tales can help parents bond better with their children and nurture their creativity.

So, if you are looking for the best bedtime stories for your children, this blog will surely help you. Let’s explore some of the fascinating and timeless fairy tales that can bring lots of colors and blooms to your kid’s childhood. 

Cinderella is one of the most popular fairy tales of all time. Its story remains an all-time classic and will remain the same for future generations as well.

Cinderella was a young woman who lived with her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. Thanks to her glass slipper, she found her Prince Charming and escaped her difficult life. 

Cinderella’s story has been adapted in many variations over history. Cinderella’s popular version “The Brother Grimm” was published in 1812. Recently, in 2021, Disney has released a new Cinderella movie with a modern outlook. 

Moral: This story tells kids how they should never stop dreaming despite all the hardships that life presents them with.

Related Reading: Top Reading Apps for Kids: How to Use Screens For Stories 

Beauty and the Beast is a fairy tale that celebrates real royalty. In the story, a spoiled prince turns into a beast and imprisons a beautiful young lady named Belle. It’s only when he learns to love Belle that he becomes the prince again. 

This fairy tale is assumed to be inspired by a real-life couple who lived in France in the 1500s. The man had a condition called hypertrichosis. This condition causes abnormal hair growth on the body. 

So, he was referred to as a wild man and was kept in a cage for a long time. In a surprising turn of events, he married a royal court servant’s daughter, and they had 7 children.

Moral: We should value internal characteristics such as kindness over other superficial or physical qualities. 

Rapunzel is a beautiful and motivational fairy tale. The story shows how a poor couple lost their daughter Rapunzel when they stole fruit from their neighbor’s garden. It also focuses on how the angelic voice of Rapunzel reunites her with her lover. 

Moral: This story gives two bold messages that one should never steal, and evilness never wins. 

Related Reading: Best Children’s Books to Stimulate Kids’ Imagination & Creativity

Snow White is a young princess and is defined by her inherent kindness and pure beauty. In the story, an evil queen spends all her life envying Snow White’s beauty. 

But, in the end, Snow White finds her happiness by marrying the prince. In contrast, the evil queen loses her peace and leads an unhappy life while chasing meaningless physical beauty. 

Moral: This story has an insightful moral — if you lust over physical beauty, you lose your peace in the way. The story also encourages kids to be kind and pure like Snow White. 

A rebellious Red sets off alone to meet her grandmother with instructions to never step off the forest path. But she disobeys the instructions and attracts the attention of the bad wolf. 

Now, what happens next depends on the version you are reading. In the Charles Perrault version, Red gets gobbled up by the wolf. However, across Europe, North America, and many other tellings, she was saved by her hood or a guy with an ax. 

Moral: This fairy tale intends to teach children to follow directions and express their courage at the time of need.  

Jack is a rule-breaker and loves to prank. Once, he traded a family cow for a couple of magic beans in the hope of climbing the beanstalk and reaching the giant’s castle to steal his magic possessions. 

This story will help you teach your naughty little pranksters that no matter how daring you are, one should never cross certain boundaries in life. 

Moral: The story shows that undying greed for more will take away what you already have in your life. 

Related Reading: Learning Styles That Make Learning Easy-Peasy For Kids

Sleeping Beauty is slightly similar to Snow White. The story revolves around a Sleeping Beauty who was cursed by a wicked fairy. Beauty spends all her childhood sleeping, but on her 16th birthday, her prince charming finds her and wakes her up after years of slumber. 

Like other fairy tales, different interpretations of Sleeping Beauty are also available. However, Disney’s Maleficent in the year 2014 achieved the most success. 

Moral: The story shows that growing up has its own hurdles but in the end, love conquers all.

If you want to raise a little animal helper, this is the perfect story for you. Puss is a bold trickster who masquerades as the servant of a nobleman. His tactics bring him fame, fortune, and a wife at a young age. 

The boots in this fairy tale symbolize wealth and wisdom. The story is set back in the 16th century when people used to be barefoot. So, having boots at that time was a significant sign of wealth. 

Moral: The story’s moral is simple — your wisdom can help you win wealth. 

This tale talks about the hunger of the heart and stomach. Hansel and Gretel are abandoned by their stepmother in the forest. Both children can’t resist eating a real gingerbread cottage out of hunger. But they get caught by a cannibal witch who lives there.  

In the end, they shove the witch into the fiery oven to escape. 

Moral: This story will teach your kids how fortunate they are to have food on their plates. It will help them be grateful in life and never have any egos! 

In this story, a frog helps a princess to find her golden ball in the pond and then invites her to live in the castle. It is then that the frog turns into a prince. The storyline of The Frog Prince is quite similar to Beauty and the Beast.

Moral: The story teaches that it’s important to value kindness and goodness over physical beauty. It also tries to convey the importance of keeping our promises.

Related Reading: Best Riddles for Kids of all Grades (With Answers)!

Are you wondering how centuries-old fairy tales can benefit your child in this digital age? Well, no matter how old fairy tales are, they can always make your kid’s childhood happy and memorable.  

Be it The Brothers Grimm or Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, all the classic magic stories can benefit your child in a number of ways:

Storytelling plays a significant role in a child’s development. That is because 95% of the human brain develops by the age of six. Therefore, reading or listening to fairy tales can build imagination and literacy for your child. 

Your child can engage in fantasy land and learn to distinguish the fantasy world from the real world. They can learn to express their thoughts and ideas better. 

Some studies even indicate that storytelling helps to improve vocabulary and confidence among children. 

Through stories, children and even adults can learn how to handle certain problems. Cinderella’s story fits perfectly in this context. It tells how a young woman escapes her difficult life despite her wicked stepmother and stepsisters’ cruelties.  

Stories allow people to step into the character’s shoes and learn how they can easily conquer problems and presents children with an interactive method of learning. This is one of the reasons why SplashLearn creates visually appealing and character-based animated games. 

Sign up & play learning games!

Children connect better with the characters in the stories. This helps them learn from their favorite characters’ life stories. The stories can show children how to believe in goodness amidst problems and anxieties. 

For example, Beauty and the Beast portray how selfishness can turn a prince into a beast. It also shows how beauty and kindness can turn a beast into a prince again. 

Fairy tales can bring cultural flavors into your child’s life. Different versions of stories are available today that can help your children interact with different cultures.  

Fairy tales show that life isn’t perfect. Children discover that bad things happen to everyone. But if you are emotionally resilient, you can overcome all challenges. 

This helps children stay strong during hard times and always believe in the richness of life despite hardships. 

Exposing your child to the world of fantasy can stimulate their imagination. It might amaze you to see how children can give a spin to traditional stories and interpret them into something completely different. 

For instance, the University of Hawai’i conducted a study to evaluate the positive impact of fairy tales on children. In the study, researchers exposed children to different classic stories to understand their impact. 

Interestingly, after listening to Little Red Riding Hood, a seven-year-old boy draws the wolf to the size of an ant. He used his imagination to create a funny interpretation of the bad wolf and show his courage.  

So, when you introduce a story to your child, you are providing them with an opportunity to think and imagine different scenarios. 

Every fairy tale is attached to a moral lesson. Fairy tales often leave us with a strong message, whether it is being good or believing in love or friendship. 

You might have a hard time making your toddler understand where the difference between good and bad lies. But stories like “The Emperor’s New Clothes” can better show to your kids, the consequences of convincing yourself that something was true when it wasn’t.

Through classic fairy tales, parents can bond with their children in a great capacity. They can relive their childhood memories with their kids and build some new memories.

You can forget anything in your life, but you can never forget all the classic fairy tales that you have heard in your childhood. Have you ever thought, why? 

That is mainly because stories capture our interest in a much better way. And once we learn something with an interest, we tend to not forget that information. 

SplashLearn creates learning games to spike and capture kids’ interest. The engaging characters and visuals motivate the little ones to learn. Different mediums like games, worksheets and courses on Math and English can help them remember and retain concepts their entire life. 

Today, you can try SplashLearn with your kids to see how they actually interact with interesting learning mediums. 

Parents, sign up for free!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which is the oldest fairy tale?

According to some researchers, The Smith And The Devil is the oldest fairy tale. It goes back by 6,000 years to the Bronze Age.

Do all fairy tales have morals?

Yes. Fairy tales are written with a motive to teach a lesson to children via interesting characters and a storyline

How do fairy tales affect child development? 

When children listen to fairy tales often, it affects their imagination and helps them to think about new things. The fairy tales affect the emotional, physical, and mental development of a child. 

Do fairy tales have the truth? 

Fairy tales have been passed down from many generations and cultures. However, today there’s no solid source from where these tales come from, but they have been inspired from somewhere. So, we can say that some fairy tales are adaptations of real-life events. 

Are fairy tales timeless?

Yes. The storyline might have changed in many tales with time, but the central idea has always been the same. 

What is the right time to read fairy tales to your child?

There’s no specific time to read stories to your kids. However, most parents prefer to read stories before bedtime. But you can read them to your child anytime as soon as they turn two.

Best Folk Tales for Kids | Top picks for kids of all ages

• Parents
• Reading Corner

• July 16, 2021
• 5 minute read
• 27.5K views
• Epic

Check out the best folk tales for kids on Epic!

Some of the most popular children’s books on our platform are classic fairy tales and stories from famous folklorists like the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, and even Native American Indian folk tales.  

Is your kid into American folktales and fables like “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Beauty and the Beast?” This is the list for you. Read on for some of our top titles! 

Written by: Darcy Pattison

Illustrated by: Soraya Bartolomé 

Ages: 6-12

In this hilarious, nontraditional rhyming version of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” Goldilocks thinks she can get away with anything. Stealing? Breaking and entering? Property damage? Who does this name-fame-dame think she is? Will the girl be able to get out of trouble, or will she end up in folktale-jail? Your kid will get a kick out of reading along to this spoofy retelling, along with the rollicking, playful wordplay.  

Written by: Brothers Grimm, Karen Kelly

Illustrated by: C.B. Canga

Ages: 10-12

As the first people to collect the fairy tales and folklore of Germany in one place, the Brothers Grimm brought to life many of today’s most iconic stories. This illustrated Calico Classics version of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” makes these age-old stories accessible for younger readers while staying true to the original plots. Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and more are included in this collection for older elementary school readers.

If your kid enjoys this book, they might like another Calico Classics book on Epic: “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. 

Written by: Nadia Higgins

Illustrated by: Kathleen Petelinsek

Ages: 3-7

Kids can follow Little Red as she strolls through the woods, encounters a “friendly” wolf and comes out on top after facing peril at Grandma’s house. 

This gorgeously illustrated version of “Little Red Riding Hood,” written by Nadia Higgins, teaches kids about bravery, resilience, keeping your wits about you and the importance of listening to parents and caregivers.

By: Michael Buckley

Illustrated by: Peter Ferguson 

Ages: 9-12

Treat your kid to another humorous fractured fairy tale in this delightful twist on the story of the Brothers Grimm. In this first installment of the New York Times bestselling Sisters Grimm series, fairy detective sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm return to their home in New York to discover a whole lot of magical oddities: wand-wielding fairy godfathers, swashbuckling Wall Street pirates, subway-stealing dwarfs—and a murder.

As the pair investigates the crime, they uncover a secret that could lead them to the bottom of things, and into an evil underground organization, the Scarlet Hand.

By: Naomi McMillan

Illustrated by: Kathy Wilburn 

Ages: 4-9

Many of us are familiar with the tale of Cinderella and her mean-spirited stepmother and jealous stepsisters.

This vividly illustrated picture book stays faithful to the traditional story of how, with the help of her fairy godmother, she finds her happy ending and escapes her terrible circumstances.

By: Eric A. Kimmel 

Ages: 5-7

The magic trickster of West African lore, Anansi the spider, is at it again. This time, not wanting to do any chores, he steals Hyena’s stick and puts it to work doing his bidding. 

Tired of the other animals laughing at his messy house, he decides to make it the tidiest in town without cleaning a single thing. But when he tries to use Hyena’s magic stick to do all the chores, he gets more than he bargained for. This imaginative retelling combined with expressive illustrations makes it the perfect silly cautionary tale for fun-loving kids.

If your child loves this audiobook, they can also follow along to the story with the Read-To-Me version on Epic.   

By: Hans Christian Andersen

Ages: 5-8

An awkward duckling braves hecklers, hunters, and trying circumstances in this magical retelling of the classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen.

Big, gawky and grey, the baby duck looks nothing like his cute siblings. But in a happy twist, he discovers beauty comes in many forms, and sometimes it just takes a little time to blossom into your best self.

By: Jon Scieszka 

Ages: 5-8

You and your kid will laugh out loud at this alternative take on “The Three Little Pigs,” narrated by Paul Giamatti. 

According to the aggrieved Alexander T. Wolf, there’s a lot more to the story than a whole lot of huffing and puffing. In fact, he claims, it all started with a cup of sugar and a sneeze. Follow the wolf’s version of events as he attempts to explain his “misunderstanding” involving the three brother piggies and clear his name.

Written by: Aesop

Illustrated by: Annalise Olson

Ages: 7-9

For centuries, kids have loved these fables handed down by ancient Greek storyteller, Aesop. This book includes the entire collection in English, with the clear, simple narration that the stories are known for. Each short tale contains hidden lessons and features personified birds, beasts and other creatures of nature. Stories include favorites like “The Hare and the Tortoise,” “The Ants and the Grasshopper,” “The Goose and the Golden Egg” and many more.

Written by: Lily Murray

Illustrated by: Wesley Robins 

Ages: 5-7

Let your kid create their very own fairy tale adventures with this fun-filled story-building book. They can pick from a variety of heroes, including the dragon, the Gingerbread Man or even a gnome. From there, they can choose their destination, tools and magical companions to join their hero on their journey, like a talking toadstool or a genie like Aladdin’s sidekick from the Arabian nights.  

The illustrated choose-your-own-adventure format offers millions of possibilities. With tons of inspiring prompts and vibrant pictures, it’s chock-full of silly options. And once they’re done, they can start over again.   

Other Recommendations 

Want more folk tales for kids? Here are a couple of honorable mentions available on Amazon:

By: Chris Colfer

In this #1 New York Times best-selling series, siblings Alex and Conner Bailey open a mysterious book and fall into a fairy tale world filled with magical beings, including a witch, wolves, goblins and more. Will they be able to find their way out of this foreign land and get back home? This fast-paced adventure beautifully  meshes reality with a world of enchantment. 

By: Cornelia Funke

One night, Meggie’s father reads aloud from a book called “Inkheart,” and a villainous ruler escapes the pages and ends up in their living room. In this tale about books and the power of imagination, Meggie must learn to harness the magic that’s been unleashed in order to come out triumphant. 

That’s it! These are just a few of the huge variety of folk tales for kids on our platform! We hope you enjoyed this list and explore even more on Epic. For more time-honored tales for your young reader, check out our post, “Best Classic Books for Kids on Epic.”  

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"Children's" Russian traditions

Publications of the Traditions section

Audio version: "Children's" Russian traditions

Many Russian traditions that were associated with the birth and upbringing of children have survived to this day. We talk about the most popular rituals, and at the same time about the origin of some set expressions.

What is "bring in the hem"

Kirill Lemokh. A new member of the family (fragment). 1890. Astrakhan Art Gallery named after P.M. Dogadina, Astrakhan

Kirill Lemokh. New acquaintance. 1885. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

Ivan Pelevin. Firstborn. 1888. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

In modern language, this expression means “to give birth to an illegitimate child,” and even 100 years ago, married peasant women often brought babies in hemlines - in the literal sense. The expectant mother worked until the very birth, which could begin anywhere.

“In the house she does all the housework, and in the field she knits, flies, threshes, takes hemp, plants or digs potatoes, right up to the birth. Some women give birth without kneading bread. Some will give birth in the field, others in a shaking cart.”

Usually, they didn’t prepare for such a development of events and didn’t carry things for the newborn with them. Sometimes the mother wrapped the child in a scarf, and sometimes she simply carried it home in the hem of her dress or in an apron.

Vladimir Dahl's "Proverbs of the Russian people" contains the expression “Three-year-old bull (about a minion). Held in the hem" . "To wear in the hem" also meant "to pamper".

Baptism: "Grandma's porridge" and "washing of hooves"

Akim Karneev. Christening. 1860s Irkutsk Regional Art Museum. V.P. Sukachev, Irkutsk

Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky. In the church. 1939. Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga, Latvia

Petr Korovin. Christening (detail). 1896. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Children were baptized usually on the second or third or fortieth day after birth. Parents and guests performed many rituals that were supposed to bring happiness, beauty and wealth to the newborn. A hundred years ago, kutya was prepared for christenings - today this dish is served only for commemoration. Baptismal porridge was modest: in addition to traditional honey and raisins, butter, milk, and eggs were added to wheat or barley. The midwife was preparing the dish - "grandmother". “Babka’s porridge” was taken out at the end of the feast, the godparents “ransomed” it by paying a few coins. The “grandmother” served the child’s father salted and heavily peppered porridge, saying: “How salty it was for a mother to give birth to your son, so will this porridge be for you” .

The expression "to wash the hooves" is described in Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary, it meant "to drink mogarych on the sale of a horse." However, this ritual was also performed at the baptismal feast. At the end of the celebration, all the guests drank to the health of the baby and gave him gifts, this was called "washing the legs" or "washing the hooves." Sometimes children's feet were actually washed with wine during the ceremony. Today, this expression means almost the same - "celebrate the birth of a child, drink to his health."

Spoon for the first tooth

Alexey Venitsianov. Nurse with a child (detail). 1830s State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Vladimir Makovsky. Two mothers. The mother is adopted and native. 1906. Samara Regional Art Museum, Samara

Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov. Mother with a child. 1915. Private collection

Initially, according to Russian custom, mothers were given "by the tooth" - most often at a baptismal feast. “Put a woman in labor on a tooth, gild, silver a tooth, give a woman in labor” , - Vladimir Dal recorded in his dictionary. In the Explanatory Dictionary of 1935–1940, edited by Dmitry Ushakov, the expression is already interpreted as an offering to a child: “To give a tooth (colloquial obsolete) - to make some gift to a newborn” . Wealthy people tried to give a silver thing, hence the “silver tooth”. And since a spoon in Rus' was an object of individual use, like a toothbrush today, there was no need to think for a long time: a new family member needed his own spoon. Later, they began to give it when the first tooth erupted - from that moment on, the child began to be given solid food, and the device turned out to be very useful.

Read also:

• Women's world in the art of Dagestan
• Questions to evil spirits: how the peasants guessed
• The history of ancient riddles Return from the city. 1870. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

  Kirill Lemokh. Parental joy. 1910. Kaluga Regional Art Museum, Kaluga

  Mikhail Ignatiev. Nanny. 1913. Dnepropetrovsk Art Museum, Dnipro, Ukraine

  In order for the baby to sleep well, aspen bark or a pebble was placed in the crook. Sometimes a cat, the main character of many lullabies, was allowed to sleep in a new bed.

  “Helped” to rock the babies of Sandman. In the "Dictionary of Russian Superstitions, Spells, Signs and Beliefs" he was described as "an evening or night spirit in the form of a kind old woman with soft, gentle hands or in the guise of a little man with a quiet lulling voice" .

  “Vanya will sleep,
  Vanya the cat will download.
  And download his cat
  Yes, gray, call him.
  Sleep and Dream,
  Put my child to sleep!”

  In many regions there was a sign: you can not rock an empty cradle. This allegedly could cause insomnia in the child, and an early new pregnancy in the mother. Later, the rocking of an empty cradle was associated with the death of an infant. A similar ban is still widespread today in Northern Europe, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan and other countries. In Russia, it was also transferred to baby strollers.

  First cutting time

  Kirill Lemokh. Varka. 1893. State Museum Association "Artistic Culture of the Russian North", Arkhangelsk

  Nikolai Pimonenko. Evening (fragment). 1900. Rybinsk State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve, Rybinsk

  Khariton Platonov. Peasant girl (She spilled milk). 1876. Tomsk Regional Art Museum, Tomsk

  In ancient times, hair was cut on certain occasions. For example, until the 20th century, the custom of "cutting the braid" was common at weddings: the bride was lightly cut or combed her hair. Echoes of children's rituals that marked different stages of growing up have also survived to this day. The first time a child was supposed to have a haircut in a year. It was believed that if you cut a child's hair before the age of one, you can "tame the mind" or "cut off the tongue" - interfere with the development of speech. After a year, children were sheared every Maundy Thursday, putting on a fur coat - this personified future wealth.

  Mouse instead of the Tooth Fairy

  Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky. New fairy tale (fragment). 1891. National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus, Minsk, Belorussia

  Kirill Lemokh. Convalescent. 1889. Primorsky State Picture Gallery, Vladivostok

  Antonina Rzhevskaya. Cheerful minute (fragment). 1897. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

  The history of the modern Tooth Fairy began at the end of the 19th century. The story about her was created by the writer Luis Coloma. It was ordered for her little son-King Alphonse XIII by his mother-regent Queen Maria Cristina. 1000 years before, the custom of rewarding babies was known to the Vikings, who wore milk teeth as good luck charms in battle. In Rus', gifts were not supposed to be given in such cases, but a special ritual existed. In order for a child to grow strong and healthy teeth, it was supposed to stand with your back to the stove, throw a fallen milk tooth over your shoulder and say: "Mouse, mouse! You have a bone tooth on you, but give me an iron one!” . Or: "Mouse, mouse, here's a turnip tooth, give me a bone one!" .

  Teaching from the age of 7

  Alexey Venetsianov. Peasant children in the field (detail). 1810s State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

  Konstantin Makovsky. Children running from a thunderstorm (detail). 1872. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

  Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky. At the door of the school (detail). 1897. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

  At the age of seven, a special age began for children. It was believed that they are going through the first serious stage of growing up. If before that everyone ran in shirts, and dressed up in "adult" clothes only on holidays, then after seven, the boys began to wear pants, and the girls - sundresses and skirts. From that time on, children were taught to read and write. In the epic about the bogatyr Dobrynya Nikitich it was said: “And Dobrynya will be seven years old, / His mother made him learn to read and write” .

  A peasant family brought up children in labor. They were entrusted with feasible work: to graze horses, drive cattle, collect potatoes from the field. The girls stayed with their mother and learned how to warm up and cook food, spin and nurse the younger children. And the boys from that time were with their father and studied men's activities.

  ---

  Author: Ekaterina Gudkova

  Tags:

  TraditionsPublications of the Traditions section

  Folk games and amusements

  played a century or more ago. We bring to your attention some of them:

  Malechina-Kalechina

  Malechina-Kalechina is an old folk game. The game consists in placing the stick vertically on the tip of one or two fingers of the hand (you cannot support the stick with the other hand) and, turning to the little one, pronounce the rhyme in recitative:

  "Malechina-Kalechina,
  how many hours till evening?
  One, two, three...”

  Count as long as you manage to keep the stick from falling. When the stick sways, it is picked up with the second hand, preventing it from falling. The winner is determined by the value of the number to which he counted.

  Babki

  In Rus', "Babki" were already widespread in the 6th-8th centuries. and were my favorite game. Grandmas are taken for the game - specially processed bones of the joints of the legs of cows, pigs, sheep. The Russians have the greatest respect for cow pasterns: they are larger and can be hit from a great distance. Each player should have their own bat and 3-10 money. The largest and heaviest headstock is taken as a bit (its inner cavity is often filled with lead or tin). Grandma games themselves are divided into countless types. Here is an example of one of them. Players bet out of the blue on the nest on the cue ball. Then they determine the conditional distance - horses. To whom to start the game first - to beat and to whom after, they draw lots about that. Players, standing on the line, beat with cue balls according to seniority. If the grandmas that are at stake are knocked down, then they are considered their winnings. When they have all struck, then each goes over to his cue ball and beats from the place where his cue ball lies; whoever lies further, he first starts and beats, and the rest finish the game according to the distance of their cue balls.

  Rope

  Rope - an old wedding game, amuses married and family people at conspiracies, at gatherings and youth parties, girls, alone, without men. But this has happened before; now all wedding conspirators amuse themselves with a rope indiscriminately. The matchmaker brings a rope into the room, the ends of which the matchmaker or boyfriend are tied in one knot. Players grab this rope with both hands, forming a circle around it. In the middle of the circle becomes a matchmaker or matchmaker for the beginning. Going around everyone, the matchmaker - to whom he says a red word, to whom he sings a saying or envies a fairy tale, trying to express in it the characters of the conspirators. Her words, although sometimes quite offensive, are answered with praise, a smile and good youth. Circular - this is the name of the matchmaker, standing in the middle of the players - among the stories, notices: someone is looking around, and, after watching, immediately beats him on the arm. The blunderer stands in a circle, with general laughter, and starts his tales. Sometimes, instead of fables, the players sing wedding songs.

  Turnip

  Fun based on the Russian folk tale "Turnip". All players stand one after another, clasping the previous one around the waist. The first player grabs a small tree trunk or post. "Grandfather" begins to pull the last player, trying to tear him away from the rest. There is another version of the game: Players sit opposite each other, resting their feet on the opponent's legs. Hands hold on to a stick. On command, they begin, without getting up, to pull each other towards themselves. The one who pulls the opponent wins.

  Cherry fun

  This fun is for young boys and girls of marriageable age. Everyone becomes shoulder to shoulder in two lines opposite each other at arm's length (or a little closer). Participants put their hands in front of them at a level just above the waist with palms up or clasp their hands in a lock for a stronger connection. It turns out a corridor. Volunteer (cherry), runs up and jumps like a fish on his hands at the beginning of the corridor. The task is to throw a cherry to the end of the corridor. Cherry should stretch his arms forward and keep his legs together. The corridor should crouch a little and at the same time as shouting "Eeeh-x" toss the cherry up and forward along the corridor. The main thing here is to scatter more and fly higher and further away, and after that the hands of the comrades will bring the player to the girl who needs to be kissed. After rolling over the waves from your hands for a couple of tens of meters, the kiss turns out to be very sensual. The main thing in the game is to slow down in time, otherwise you will fly past the desired addressee.

  Burners

  Old Russian fun. Burners were played by girls and single young men. A guy was always chosen as the driver, and he could only catch a girl, so the game made it possible to get acquainted, communicate, choose a bride. “Single guys and girls are installed in pairs in a long row, and one of the fellows, who gets to burn by lot, stands in front of everyone and says:

  - “I’m burning, I’m burning the stump!”

  - "What are you burning for?" a girl's voice asks.

  - "I want a red maiden."

  - "Which one?"

  - "You, young!"

  At these words, one couple scatters in different directions, trying to get back together with each other and grab their hands; and who was on fire - he rushes to catch his girlfriend. If he manages to catch the girl before she meets her mate, they stand in a row, and the one who remains alone takes his place. If he fails to catch, then he continues to chase other couples, who, after the same questions and answers, run in turn. A.N.Afanasiev

  Brook

  Not a single holiday in the old days was complete for young people without this game. Here you have a fight for your beloved, and jealousy, and a test of feelings, and a magical touch on the chosen hand. The game is wonderful, wise and extremely significant. The players stand one after another in pairs, usually a boy and a girl, join hands and hold them high above their heads. From clasped hands, a long corridor is obtained. The player who did not get a pair goes to the "source" of the stream and, passing under clasped hands, looks for a pair. Holding hands, the new couple makes their way to the end of the corridor, and the one whose couple was broken goes to the beginning of the "brook". And passing under clasped hands, he takes away with him the one he likes. This is how the “stream” moves - the more participants, the more fun the game is, it is especially fun to play with music.

  Head over heels

  Head over heels were one of the most common games in ancient Rus'. Already in the X century. Kubar had such a perfect form that it almost did not change to this day. The simplest kubari were carved with an ax and a knife from a wooden cylinder by squeezing its lower end to the shape of a cone. An obligatory accessory for head over heels games is a whip (rope on a short stick) or just a rope, with which head over heels spin up to a fast and steady rotation. Kubar starts in different ways. Sometimes it is untwisted between the palms, and more often a rope is wound head over heels and pulled with force at its end. This gives the head over heels a rotational movement, which can then be maintained by whipping head over heels with a whip or string. Kubar at the same time does not fall, but only slightly bounces “as if alive” and begins to rotate even faster, moving gradually in a certain direction. Skilled players compete by driving head over heels in an agreed direction, often winding, maneuvering between various obstacles or overcoming an obstacle.

  Chizhik

  Chizhik is a children's game that amuses children successfully and saddens them by accidental beatings. The eldest of the children outlines a square on the ground with a chalk or a sharp stick - a “cage”, in its middle he sets a stone, on which he puts a stick - a “chizhik”. Everyone takes turns approaching the “cage” with another long stick and hitting the “chizhik”, which flies up from the blow. Then other players beat the "chizhik" on the fly, trying to drive him back into the "cage". The game continues until then, until one of the players with a broken face appears and, with a cry, begins to search for the culprit. But since the beatings are soon forgotten by the children, the Chizhik game will soon resume.

  Dawn

  Players stand in a circle, hands are held behind their backs, and one of the players - "dawn" walks behind with a ribbon and says: dropped,

  Golden keys,

  Blue ribbons,

  Twisted rings —

  Went for water!

  With the last words, the driver carefully puts the ribbon on the shoulder of one of the players, who, noticing this, quickly takes the ribbon, and they both run in different directions in a circle. The one who is left without a place becomes a "dawn".

  Petushki

  Boys love to bully, push, even fight - in a word, cocks. But real boyish fights were not carried out somehow, but according to the rules. For the game, a small circle was drawn, and two players stood in its center. The rules were strict - the guys had their hands behind their backs, you couldn’t stand on two legs, just jump on one leg. The guys could push with their shoulders, chest, back, but not with their heads and not with their hands. If you managed to push your opponent so that he stepped on the ground with his second foot or jumped out of the circle, you won.

  Slaps in the face

  Good old fun for guys. Two fellows sit on a bench opposite each other, cross-legged under the bench, and inflict “slaps” on each other. A narrow bench and crossed legs make it difficult to deliver strong blows with a tense arm. Once one of the guys tried to hit harder, and even with his fist, which was against the rules, but he got worse - he became a victim of his own outstanding inertia and a narrow bench and flew to the ground.

  Fight with sacks

  Two good fellows get up or sit down on a log, take a sack in their hands and, on command, start hitting an opponent with a sack, trying to throw him off the log to the ground. For complexity, you can keep one hand tightly pressed to the lower back, and act with the other hand. Here, the ability to move, to feel the movement of the enemy, to use his inertia becomes more important.

  Pole riding

  This folk winter pastime was once widespread in the provinces of Russia. On the slope of a mountain or mound, two even, smoothly planed poles (poles) 15-20 m long are placed under a slope parallel to each other at a distance of about 1 meter. Two smooth rails are obtained, along which you can slide down the mountain. The poles are repeatedly poured with water so that they freeze solid and become slippery. Whoever wants to ride on the poles picks up a partner of similar height and weight. Partners stand on poles facing each other, supporting each other with their hands by the shoulders or waist. However, the methods can be very different, if only to resist the rapid slide down. The coordination of actions, the ability to maintain balance, ingenuity, courage allow some to ride in the most remote and comic poses.

  Cradle

  This activity requires a rope 2-3 meters long. The rope is held by two, or you can tie one of the ends to a tree. The rope is not twisted, but only swayed above the ground at different heights - from 10 centimeters and above. Guys and girls one by one (or in pairs) scatter and jump over a swinging rope, or they start jumping in different ways: with closed legs, on one leg, with legs crossed, with a turn when jumping, etc. They jump until they make mistakes. The one who makes a mistake replaces one of the rope swingers. A mistake is considered not only an unsuccessful jump, but also any touching of the rope.

  Spillikins

  Spilliks are small straws (or sticks - wooden, reed, bone or any other, even artificial material) 10 centimeters long, and in number from sixty to one hundred. The beam is thrown on the table, or any flat surface, so that the spillikins lie in a chaotic disorder one on top of the other and side by side. The playing participants of the fun strictly alternately remove them one at a time - as it is more convenient: with their fingers or with a special wire hook mounted on a stick. Whoever just moves the neighboring spillikin, immediately passes the hook to the next player. This continues until the entire pile is completely disassembled. The winner is the participant who has accumulated the largest number of flawlessly taken spillikins. Heads are attached to some spillikins, calling them: king, general, colonel, etc .; you can also give the sticks the appearance of a spear, knife, saw, spade, etc. For such special spillikins, more points are awarded.

  Blind Man's Blind Man

  The driving player is called a blindman's man's man.

  Blindfolded blindfold (usually with a scarf or handkerchief). They unwind it and then ask:

  — Cat, cat, what are you standing on?

  - On the sourdough.

  - What's in the bowl?

  - Kvass.

  - Catch the mice, not us.

  After that, the players scatter, and the blind man's blind man catches them. Blind Man's Buff should catch any other player and identify him. If successful, the one caught becomes a blind man's buffoon. Players can run, freeze in one place, “tease” the driver in order to attract his attention and, perhaps, thus save the player to whom the driver or “blind man’s blind man” came too close.

  Bells

  This is an old Russian game. The players stand in a circle. Two people go to the middle - one with a bell or a bell, and the other is blindfolded. All the rest sing:

  Tryntsy-bryntsy, bells,

  Daredevils rang out:

  Digi-digi-digi-dong,

  Guess where the ringing comes from!

  After these words, the blindfolded player must catch the participant dodging from him by the sound of the bell. When a participant with a bell is caught, he becomes the leader, and the second player becomes in the general circle.

  Golden Gate

  In this game, two players stand opposite each other and, holding hands, raise them up. Get the "gate". The rest stand one after another and put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front, or simply hold hands. The resulting chain should pass under the gate. And the “gates” at this time pronounce:

  Golden Gate

  They don’t always let you through!

  Forgiveness for the first time,

  Forbidden for the second time,

  And for the third time

  We won't let you through!

  After these words, the "gates" abruptly lower their hands, and those players who were caught also become "gates". Gradually, the number of "gates" increases, and the chain decreases. The game ends when all players become "gates".

  Geese-swans

  Having chosen two or one wolf, depending on the number of players, choose the leader, the one that starts the game. All the rest become geese. The leader stands at one end of the site, the geese at the other, and the wolves hide to the side. The leader paces, glances, and, noticing the wolves, runs to his place, claps his hands and shouts:

  Geese-swans, go home!

  — Why?

  - Run, fly home, there are wolves behind the mountain!

  — What do wolves want?

  - Pinch gray geese and gnaw bones!

  After these words, the geese must have time to run to the leader before they are grabbed by the wolves. The captured geese are out of the game, and the remaining players repeat the game again until the wolves have caught all the geese.

  Easter Egg Roll

  Egg Roll is a competitive game where the goal is to get other players' eggs. A track (also called a skating rink or tray) is installed on a flat area, which is a chute made of cardboard or wood, at the end of which painted eggs are laid out, as well as toys and other trinkets. The track can be inclined, and its shape varies. Sometimes they do without a special track, while eggs are rolled on the floor or on the grass. Each player rolls their egg along the path. If it hits any of the items, that item is won. If the egg does not touch any object, it is left on the site, and it can go to another player as a prize.

  Elephant

  Elephant is an old Russian game, especially loved by boys, as the game reveals the strongest and most resilient. The players are divided into two equal in strength and in the number of team members. One of the teams is an elephant, the other jumps on it. The strongest and strongest player stands in front facing the wall, leaning against it, bending over and lowering his head. The next participant grabs him by the belt and hides his head, followed by the third, fourth, and so on. They must hold tightly to each other, depicting an elephant. The members of the other team take turns running up and jumping on the back of the elephant so as to sit as far forward as possible, leaving room for the next. The task of the players is to stay on the elephant with the whole team and not fall off for 10 seconds. After that, the team members switch roles.

  Kiss, girl, well done

  The game will require many participants - girls and boys. The players stand in a circle, and one becomes in the center. Then everyone starts moving: the circle rotates in one direction, the one in the center in the other. The player in the center spins with their eyes closed and their arm outstretched in front of them. Everyone sings:

  Matryoshka walked along the path,

  Lost two earrings,

  Two earrings, two rings,

  Kiss, girl, well done.

  With the last words, everyone stops. The player pointed to by the leader's hand goes to the center. Players stand with their backs to each other and turn their heads to the left or right at the expense of "three"; if the sides match, then the lucky ones kiss!

  Ringleader

  First, all players stand in a circle facing the center. The driver moves away from the players, who, in turn, choose the "ringleader". The ringleader shows all the other players different moves, and the players repeat these movements, keeping up with the ringleader.

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