Games from Our Past

Elastics

Rules:

Two people stand opposite each other, legs apart, elastic around their ankles. The others go in/ out without touching the elastics.

The game is played by 3 players, at least. Two layers stay opposite each other and extend the rubber band on different parts of body, depending on the level of difficulty. When the player finishes his/her first jumping level of difficulty, he/she continues the game at the next level. If the jumping player makes a mistake, another player starts. When it comes to a turn of the first player again, he /she continues jumping from where he/she previously finished. The winner is the one who finishes jumping all the levels of difficulty.

Blind man’s buff ( Сляпа баба)

We have a traditional game that has been around for many years and is played by children all over the world. One child is blindfolded. The other children move around the “blind” player, calling out to them. When the “blind” player catches someone, then the blindfold is tied around that child’s eyes and the game starts again.

Dodgeball ( Народна топка)

It is a team sport. There are two teams. Players throw the ball and try to hit the opponents. The aim is to eliminate all the members of the opposing team

Cops and Robbers (Стражари и Апаши) or Prisoner's base Game

There are two teams. In this game players of the one team (the cops) seek to tag and imprison players of the other team (the robbers) who venture out of their home territory or base.

Hide-and- seek ( Криеница/ Жмичка)

a popular game in which one player closes eyes, while counting to 100 and the other players hide. The seeker then opens his/ her eyes and tries to find the hiders. The first one found is the next seeker, and the last is the winner of the round.

To play hopscotch (играя на дама)

Hopscotch can be played with one or more people. Players take turns, standing in a line at the start/finish line. Each player will go through the following steps: Toss a stone in square one. Hop over the stone on the way out and pick it up on the way back. If the player misses the toss, pass the stone to the next player in line and return to the back of the line. Hop in the first empty hopscotch square. Balance on one foot in single squares and both feet in side-by-side squares. On the way back to the start/finish line, pause at the square before the stone. Bend over and pick up the stone without moving feet. Once the player’s turn is complete, s/he passes the stone to the next player in line and goes to the end of the line. After each player successfully completes a turn with the stone in square one, their next turn s/he tosses the stone in square two and so on until the player has completed all ten squares.

Thread the needle game (Кральо -Портальо)

There are two teams and two of the participants are the leaders-to-be of the teams. Each chooses a codeword. The two hold their hands shaping an arch gate, which the other participants go under. At one point, their hands go down to entrap a participant. Depending on his or her choice, the participant joins the team of one of the leaders. When all the kids are grouped into the two teams, they stand in two opposite rows holding each other by the waist. The goal is one of the teams to pull the other group towards themselves. Most often, in the end, everyone falls over, happy with their victory, or determined to beat next time.

Jump Rope or Skip Rope (Скачане на въже)

In this game two players turn a rope (holding it by its ends and swinging it in a circle) and the other players take turns jumping it while chanting a rhyme or counting. When it is played as a game, each player is required to move in while the rope is turning, complete the jump, and move out without contacting or stopping the rope; the jumps required usually become more complicated as the game proceeds