![\"winter](\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2023\/02\/WinterGamesForKids-4.jpg\")
<\/a>1. L\u01ceoy\u012bng zhu\u014d xi\u01ceo j\u012b<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>(China)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe name of this traditional game from China<\/a> roughly translates to “eagle catches chicks”. It’s based on a folktale about how two animals became mortal enemies – but luckily, the game is far less intense.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAll the players except the \u201ceagle\u201d hold onto the shoulder or waist of the person in front of them. The kid at the front is the \u201cmother hen,\u201d and everyone behind them is a \u201cchick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goal is for the eagle to \u201ccatch\u201d one of the chicks while the mother hen tries to protect them. The chicks need to steer clear \u2014 all while making sure they don\u2019t break the line. Hilarity ensues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If a chick gets caught, they have to hold on to the eagle and help catch the other baby birds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Gorodki<\/em> (Russia)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nGorodki<\/em> (which loosely translates to \u201clittle cities\u201d) may have been invented by 18th century Russian farmers. Since then, it’s been played by everyone from Leo Tolstoy to Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"winter](\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2023\/02\/WinterGamesForKids-3.jpg\")
<\/a>Players in Gomil, Belarus, participate in the traditional Russian game of gorodki<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nTo play, arrange wooden cylinders in a stack to create one of 15 shapes (the villages) inside a marked square (the city). Then a player throws a heavy stick at the tower to knock villages out of the city square. Their aim is to do it in as few throws as possible \u2014 almost like a cross between bowling and hoopla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have kids try this by building a tower out of sticks and branches, then using a bigger limb or even a small ball to knock them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learning about games from other cultures is a great way to get your family talking about people around the world, and why it’s important to appreciate the way they do things, too. Open their eyes to new events, traditions and activities every month with a subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Sliding game (Canada)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This traditional Indigenous game was played by Cree women, who lived in what is now Canada<\/a>. To play, they carved holes in a slanted piece of ice and labelled each with a different point value. Then, they flicked pieces of buffalo horn into each hole with their fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRecreate the game by scooping out holes in snow or soil. Agree on point values, then use small rocks or beanbags to score points. How many can your kids get?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Stiv heks<\/em> (Norway)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis twist on tag adds a few rules. Translated to \u201cstiff witch,\u201d the game designates one child as the \u201cwitch,\u201d who must freeze the other players by tagging them. Players only becomes unfrozen when another child crawls through their legs. The witch wins once all the kids are “frozen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Paengi chigi<\/em> (South Korea)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis folk game, which loosely translates to \u201cspinning top,\u201d is like the original Beyblades \u2014 on ice. To play, kids attach a long piece of string to a stick on one end, and a wooden top on the other. Then, they place the top on a patch of ice, and whip the stick to keep the top spinning as long as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"two](\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2023\/02\/WinterGamesForKids-2.jpg\")
<\/a>Girls spin wooden tops on the ice in Seoul, South Korea.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHelp your kids craft their own spinning top, or simply provide each child with an item that will rotate on icy puddles (like a coin or lip balm tube) and count the spins. The top that spins the longest wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Kot i mysz<\/em> (Poland)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis game, which translates to \u201ccat and mouse,\u201d will get heart rates pumping! Here, a \u201ccat\u201d is on the outside of a circle of kids holding hands, and a \u201cmouse\u201d is on the inside. To win, the mouse must escape the circle without being caught by the cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ring of children can raise and lower their arms to help the mouse escape and keep the cat outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mouse is caught, it becomes the new cat. Then the original cat joins the circle, and a new child becomes the mouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Played on playgrounds across Eastern Europe, this game is often accompanied by a nursery rhyme song<\/a> about, well, a cat and a mouse. If the group is large, two cats and two mice can play at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n7. T<\/strong><\/em>hunka <\/em>(Bolivia)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn this game played in Andean Bolivia, kids draw seven squares on the ground. Each represents a day of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first player aims a stone on the square for the first day of the week. If they’re successful, they hop into the square on one foot. The second player tosses towards the second day of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If that<\/em> child is successful, the first kid throws their stone to the third day of the week and hops there\u2014without hopping on the square in between. The first player to hop out of the seventh square wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBoys and girls traditionally play the game differently. And sometimes players add extra squares, different themes, hopping rules or objects, too. So, encourage your kids to try some ideas of their own!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. Yukigassen<\/em> (Japan)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nYour kids probably enjoy a good old-fashioned snowball fight, so they might be interested to know that snowball fighting is a competitive sport in Japan<\/a>. There, the game comes with teams, special playing fields, and rules (like how many snowballs each team gets).<\/p>\n\n\n
All the players except the \u201ceagle\u201d hold onto the shoulder or waist of the person in front of them. The kid at the front is the \u201cmother hen,\u201d and everyone behind them is a \u201cchick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goal is for the eagle to \u201ccatch\u201d one of the chicks while the mother hen tries to protect them. The chicks need to steer clear \u2014 all while making sure they don\u2019t break the line. Hilarity ensues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If a chick gets caught, they have to hold on to the eagle and help catch the other baby birds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Gorodki<\/em> (Russia)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nGorodki<\/em> (which loosely translates to \u201clittle cities\u201d) may have been invented by 18th century Russian farmers. Since then, it’s been played by everyone from Leo Tolstoy to Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Players in Gomil, Belarus, participate in the traditional Russian game of gorodki<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nTo play, arrange wooden cylinders in a stack to create one of 15 shapes (the villages) inside a marked square (the city). Then a player throws a heavy stick at the tower to knock villages out of the city square. Their aim is to do it in as few throws as possible \u2014 almost like a cross between bowling and hoopla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have kids try this by building a tower out of sticks and branches, then using a bigger limb or even a small ball to knock them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learning about games from other cultures is a great way to get your family talking about people around the world, and why it’s important to appreciate the way they do things, too. Open their eyes to new events, traditions and activities every month with a subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Sliding game (Canada)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This traditional Indigenous game was played by Cree women, who lived in what is now Canada<\/a>. To play, they carved holes in a slanted piece of ice and labelled each with a different point value. Then, they flicked pieces of buffalo horn into each hole with their fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRecreate the game by scooping out holes in snow or soil. Agree on point values, then use small rocks or beanbags to score points. How many can your kids get?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Stiv heks<\/em> (Norway)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis twist on tag adds a few rules. Translated to \u201cstiff witch,\u201d the game designates one child as the \u201cwitch,\u201d who must freeze the other players by tagging them. Players only becomes unfrozen when another child crawls through their legs. The witch wins once all the kids are “frozen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Paengi chigi<\/em> (South Korea)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis folk game, which loosely translates to \u201cspinning top,\u201d is like the original Beyblades \u2014 on ice. To play, kids attach a long piece of string to a stick on one end, and a wooden top on the other. Then, they place the top on a patch of ice, and whip the stick to keep the top spinning as long as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/a>Girls spin wooden tops on the ice in Seoul, South Korea.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHelp your kids craft their own spinning top, or simply provide each child with an item that will rotate on icy puddles (like a coin or lip balm tube) and count the spins. The top that spins the longest wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Kot i mysz<\/em> (Poland)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis game, which translates to \u201ccat and mouse,\u201d will get heart rates pumping! Here, a \u201ccat\u201d is on the outside of a circle of kids holding hands, and a \u201cmouse\u201d is on the inside. To win, the mouse must escape the circle without being caught by the cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ring of children can raise and lower their arms to help the mouse escape and keep the cat outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mouse is caught, it becomes the new cat. Then the original cat joins the circle, and a new child becomes the mouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Played on playgrounds across Eastern Europe, this game is often accompanied by a nursery rhyme song<\/a> about, well, a cat and a mouse. If the group is large, two cats and two mice can play at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n7. T<\/strong><\/em>hunka <\/em>(Bolivia)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn this game played in Andean Bolivia, kids draw seven squares on the ground. Each represents a day of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first player aims a stone on the square for the first day of the week. If they’re successful, they hop into the square on one foot. The second player tosses towards the second day of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If that<\/em> child is successful, the first kid throws their stone to the third day of the week and hops there\u2014without hopping on the square in between. The first player to hop out of the seventh square wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBoys and girls traditionally play the game differently. And sometimes players add extra squares, different themes, hopping rules or objects, too. So, encourage your kids to try some ideas of their own!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. Yukigassen<\/em> (Japan)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nYour kids probably enjoy a good old-fashioned snowball fight, so they might be interested to know that snowball fighting is a competitive sport in Japan<\/a>. There, the game comes with teams, special playing fields, and rules (like how many snowballs each team gets).<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a>To play, arrange wooden cylinders in a stack to create one of 15 shapes (the villages) inside a marked square (the city). Then a player throws a heavy stick at the tower to knock villages out of the city square. Their aim is to do it in as few throws as possible \u2014 almost like a cross between bowling and hoopla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have kids try this by building a tower out of sticks and branches, then using a bigger limb or even a small ball to knock them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learning about games from other cultures is a great way to get your family talking about people around the world, and why it’s important to appreciate the way they do things, too. Open their eyes to new events, traditions and activities every month with a subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This traditional Indigenous game was played by Cree women, who lived in what is now Canada<\/a>. To play, they carved holes in a slanted piece of ice and labelled each with a different point value. Then, they flicked pieces of buffalo horn into each hole with their fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recreate the game by scooping out holes in snow or soil. Agree on point values, then use small rocks or beanbags to score points. How many can your kids get?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This twist on tag adds a few rules. Translated to \u201cstiff witch,\u201d the game designates one child as the \u201cwitch,\u201d who must freeze the other players by tagging them. Players only becomes unfrozen when another child crawls through their legs. The witch wins once all the kids are “frozen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This folk game, which loosely translates to \u201cspinning top,\u201d is like the original Beyblades \u2014 on ice. To play, kids attach a long piece of string to a stick on one end, and a wooden top on the other. Then, they place the top on a patch of ice, and whip the stick to keep the top spinning as long as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n Help your kids craft their own spinning top, or simply provide each child with an item that will rotate on icy puddles (like a coin or lip balm tube) and count the spins. The top that spins the longest wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This game, which translates to \u201ccat and mouse,\u201d will get heart rates pumping! Here, a \u201ccat\u201d is on the outside of a circle of kids holding hands, and a \u201cmouse\u201d is on the inside. To win, the mouse must escape the circle without being caught by the cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ring of children can raise and lower their arms to help the mouse escape and keep the cat outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the mouse is caught, it becomes the new cat. Then the original cat joins the circle, and a new child becomes the mouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Played on playgrounds across Eastern Europe, this game is often accompanied by a nursery rhyme song<\/a> about, well, a cat and a mouse. If the group is large, two cats and two mice can play at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this game played in Andean Bolivia, kids draw seven squares on the ground. Each represents a day of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first player aims a stone on the square for the first day of the week. If they’re successful, they hop into the square on one foot. The second player tosses towards the second day of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If that<\/em> child is successful, the first kid throws their stone to the third day of the week and hops there\u2014without hopping on the square in between. The first player to hop out of the seventh square wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boys and girls traditionally play the game differently. And sometimes players add extra squares, different themes, hopping rules or objects, too. So, encourage your kids to try some ideas of their own!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your kids probably enjoy a good old-fashioned snowball fight, so they might be interested to know that snowball fighting is a competitive sport in Japan<\/a>. There, the game comes with teams, special playing fields, and rules (like how many snowballs each team gets).<\/p>\n\n\n3. Sliding game (Canada)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Stiv heks<\/em> (Norway)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Paengi chigi<\/em> (South Korea)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>6. Kot i mysz<\/em> (Poland)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. T<\/strong><\/em>hunka <\/em>(Bolivia)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. Yukigassen<\/em> (Japan)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n