ROMANIAN NON-FORMAL GAMES

1. “Cat and Mouse”

I.                  Preparation of the game:

-        Number of players: > 2, one of them being the leader, chosen by counting.

-        All the players make up a circle facing each other while holding hands.

There is a child in the centre – “the Mouse“, and the other children who are out of the circle.

-        Equipment Requirements: None.

II. How it is played:

1.    When the game starts, the Cat must catch the Mouse. The players in the circle facilitate the running of the Mouse, allowing it to get into and out of the circle by putting their hands up.

2.    At the same time they must not permit the Cat to get through the circle.

3.    If the Cat catches the Mouse, then the leader, who is the referee, chooses other 2 kids to play the two roles.

4.  The game continues.

5.  They also do the same thing when the CAT fails to catch the MOUSE, or the time runs out (1 minute, 2 minutes or the quarter of an hour predetermined).

This is the Romanian version of the game.

2. Hopscotch

It is a children’s game using squares marked on the ground in which each child has to jump from one square to another.

-        The players’ age: > 4

-        The number of players: > 1 ( The more, the better)

-        The playground: anywhere – indoors and outdoors. It is best to play it in parks, yards, car parks, schoolyards, etc.

-        Things needed: chalk, pebbles.

How it is played:

1.    You mark the squares on the pavement with a piece of chalk or with a stick (if on the beach). It depends on the surface.

-        You number the squares;

-        The length of the hopscotch: 3 to 5 m long.

-        The players decide the numbers of squares ( e.g. 7 squares)

2.    The sequence order of the players is agreed on.

3.The player stands in front of square no. 1 and tosses a pebble or a small object into the squares. He/She jumps or hops (through the squares to collect the pebble or the small object) and hops back to the START.

4.This is done till the court is completed.

RULES:

1.    The small object must be tossed onto each square into 1 to 2, to 3, etc.

2.   The player ends his/her turn when:

a)   He/she misses a square when tossing the small object;

b)   He/she touches a line;

c) He/she steps out of the line;

d) He/she loses balance.

3.If the small object lands on the line of the targeted square, the player losses again.

4.The player may go to the next square, if he/she has picked up the small object in a fair manner.

5.   The players begin their turns where they last left off.

This is the Romanian version of the game.

3.The Blind Old Woman

(a fun game for kids)

-it’s a very relaxing and motivating exercise to get kids involved in workshops;

-it’s a useful game for memorizing the names of other kids;

-age of players: >5;

-no° of players: 3;

-objectives: to develop attention, music talent and hearing;

-the right place to play it: anywhere, even in a smaller room;

-equipment requirements: a scarf/blindfold.

How it is played:

1. The playground is traced;

2. The players must not cross the lines;

3. The one who crosses the line automatically becomes the ‘’Blind Old Woman``;

4. The kids stand in a circle;

5. The one chosen to play the main role is blindfolded and put in the centre;

6. The other kids scatter around making a little noise. ‘`It`` can cry out: ‘’Where are you, Chiriță?” and the kids can answer back: ‚’’În oala cu jântiță”;

7. If ‘’it`` touches someone, and says this kid`s name, that kid becomes ‘’it`` and the game starts over again.

This is the Romanian version of the game.

4.HIDE AND SEEK/ Hide-and-go-seek

(a popular children's game)

1.    Age of the players: >5;

2.    No° of children: >3 (the more, the better);

3.    Equipment requirements/resources: none;

4.The right place to play: anywhere, best outside such as parks etc.

How it is played:

1.     All players stand in a circle and decide who will end up closing their eyes, by saying ,, A small fish jumped off the Pacific Ocean and <<You get out!>> was written on its face’’.

2.     The last one left will close his/her eyes and count up to a certain number agreed by the players.

3.     The other players will run away and hide as “it’’ counts.

4.     After reaching the number “it’’ calls: ‘’Ready or not, here I come!’’.

5.     ‘’It’’ ’s mission is to walk around to locate all the concealed players. It’s enough to see them to run back and “spit’’ their name on the place ‘’it’’ was counting at. If “it’’is too static, the other players ask “it’’to “Take the bear for a walk!’’.

6.The players who will get  back to the “home base’’ before ”it’’ will not be the next “it’’.

7.The game ends when all the hidden players have been located and “spat’’ or they have reached “the home base’’ and “spat it’’.

8.The next “it’’ is the one who was”spat’’ first.

9.,,Ultimul scapă turma!’’=,,The last one saves the herd!’’ It means that if the last player “spits’’ it, it stays the same.

It is an example of oral tradition.

It is commonly passed on by children.

This is the Romanian version of the game.

Polish Non-Formal Games

Dodgeball

Dodgeball

Time: till we get the winner

Number of players – minimum 6 people. The more players the better

Materials: a big fitness ball

Place - designated field (e.g. a square)

Rules: The fun is to knock down all players in the field

Dodgeball

- at the beginning we choose two "mothers" (e.g. who will first guess the riddle ... ") - knock down players who are in the field by hitting the ball (but do not hit the heads), - the person who is hit by the ball leaves the playing court and becomes the mother on either side of the playing court

- "mothers" can knock down; - "mothers" cannot be knocked down,

- knocks are not counted if  the ball bounces off the ground before it hits the player, or the player simply catches the ball, or the player is hit but a teammate has caught the ball before it touches the ground.

- players can only escape from capturing within their designated field,

- if the ball goes out of bounds, the "mother" in which direction the ball was flying takes it - the person who is the longest on the playing field wins

Dodgeball

Tug of war

Tug of war

Time: till we get the winner

Number of players – minimum 2 team with minimum 3 players in each. The more players the better

Materials – one line, three ribbons

Place – any areas

Tug of war

Rules:

The players are divided into 2 groups, each group holds the line at the opposite ends. Each team tries to drag the line with all players from the second team. The winner is this team which dragged the line through the middle of the field with all other players.

Tug of war

Pouch launcher

Pouch launcher

Time: till we get the winner

Number of players – minimum 2 people. The more players the better

Materials – a launcher (a board and a stake), gym sacks, two sets of colourful pictures

Place – any areas

Pouch launcher

Rules:

Kids put a gym sack at the end of the board. Then they stand on the other end of the board and the gym sack jumps. The task is to catch the gym sack and throw it onto defined picture. The winner is this kid, who hits the most pictures.

Pouch launcher

Bricklayer tag

Bricklayer tag

Time: till we get the winner

Number of players – minimum 8 people. The more players the better

Materials: no;

Place – any areas

Bricklayer tag

Rules:

One person is a bricklayer, who stands in the middle of the field and tries to build a wall. Other players stand on one side and after a sign they run from one side to the opposite side of the field. People who the bricklayer caught will be elements of the wall. The bricklayer put them once at the left once at the right side so players have got narrower and narrower place to run through. The player who won’t be caught is a winner and becomes a bricklayer.

Bricklayer tag

Caps racing

Caps racing

Time: till we get the winner

Number of players – minimum 2 people. The more players the better

Materials: caps or Plasticine, a rope or some chalk 

Place – any areas

Caps racing

Rules:

- create a route using a rope or drawing with chalk

- the caps are moved along the route from the start to the finish line by the force of the competitors' fingers

- each competitor has got one bottle cap

- players take one shot each

- falling out of the route during movement forces you to return to the start

- you cannot move the caps using the "grab" and "drop" method

-the person who reaches the finish line first wins

Caps racing

ITALIAN

GIOCHI D'INFANZIA

1. ONE, TWO, THREE, STAR!

2. CAMPANA

3. UOMO GHIACCIO

4. MOSCA CIECA

ONE, TWO, 

THREE, STAR!

Players stand in a row while a person counts facing the wall: "1, 2, 3 Star!" and then turns to the players. They need to get to the wall but can move only if the one who counts is facing the wall; if he/she sees them moving, they have to go back and start again. 

CAMPANA

Draw a numbered pattern on 

the ground made up of a certain number of squares. A stone 

must be thrown onto these squares, which the player must try to reach by hopping on one leg. The winner is whoever manages to reach the last 

square of the board and lift 

the stone on one leg from the ground. You are eliminated

“L’UOMO DI GHIACCIO”

“The Ice Man”

L’Uomo di Ghiaccio (The Ice Man) is the ideal game to do a lot of movement by combining a few rules and a lot of fun. 

Number of players: 4 or more (the more players the better) one of them being the ice man.

Age of players: > 4 years old 

Things needed: something to distinguish the ice man, like an old white t-shirt, or a scarf tied at the waist,

music (but it is not essential, just mark the times by voice)

The playground: anywhere, indoors or outdoors but it is best played in a not too large space.

The rules of the game:

One or two children (depending on how big the group is) are chosen as the ice man and wear the white t-shirt or the scarf.

When the music starts, the other children have to run away so as not to get caught.

The ice man must try to touch the children as much as possible.

Whoever is touched by the ice man remains motionless with his arms and legs apart, because the super-power of the ice man is precisely to freeze people.

To be released, another child must pass under the frozen child's legs, who will again be able to run and escape.

As a child passes under the legs of another to free him, he cannot be taken by the ice man.

Every now and then the music turns off and another child takes on the role of ice man.

Fun is guaranteed!

“MOSCA CIECA”

The Blind Fly

Mosca Cieca (The Blind Fly) is a very ancient game, known and played by children in all regions of Italy.

Number of players: 4 or more (the more players the better).

Age of players: > 4 years old 

Things needed:  a blindfold or simply a scarf. 

The playground: any area, indoors or outdoors.

The rules of the game:

One player is blindfolded and then disoriented by being spun around several times. 

The other players, who are not blindfolded, amuse themselves by calling out to the “blind child” and 

dodging away from him.

The blind child tries to touch the other players moving around. 

A player touched or caught by the blind child takes on the blindfold only if the blind child guesses the 

identity of his/her captive before the blindfold is removed.

 If the guess is wrong, the captive is released and the game continues.

Yağ Satarım Bal Satarım

First of all players should make a circle. Players choose a person to turn around the circle. Then the game starts. The chosen person without everybody close their eyes. Everybody sings the game song and the chosen person starts the walk around the circle. When the song ends, the chosen person chooses one of the players. After that he/she goes to the his/her behind and leaves the tissue. When the chooen player takes the tissue, he/she tries to catch the other one. And the first chosen player tries to sit his/her position.

Yağ Satarım Bal Satarım