Latvian traditional games

NordPlus – eTwinning project «What is common and What is different?»

Balvi Primary school

MakšķerēšanaFishing

• The game can be played by unlimited number of players.

• Game area: circle• Players make a circle, the game leader goes into the

middle of the circle. • The game leader holds a string and turns it (at the end

of the string has to be fastened some piece of a heavier subject, for example, a little bag with some sand).

• The game players have to jump and avoid from the string. When the string hits the player, he/she has to get out from the game.

• The winner is the last player.

Gaiļu kaujasRooster fight

• The participants should split in two teams that will stand in two queues on each side of a circle.

• Game area: the circle should be drawn on the ground, the circle should be 3 - 4m in diameter.

• One player from each team goes in the circle and stands on one foot about 1.5m away from each other, their hands can be put together at the back or one hand can be used to hold the raised up leg but the free hand goes behind his/her back.

• After the signal “roosters", the players start to jump on one leg and with their shoulders try to push the opponent out of the circle or make the opponent stand on both feet.

• The winner gets one point for their team. After that, other two players go (from each team one) to play the same game. And so on until all the players have played the game.

Augstāk par zemiAbove the ground

• The game can be played by unlimited number of players.• Game area: free area. • In the beginning of the game all players select the games

leader.• Then the other members are running away, but the game

leader tries to catch them.• Players try to stand on a higher platform (chair, strain, step,

etc.), which is so called a safety place.• The leader may not climb on this the highest point. If two

players are together on one platform, the leader can choose which one will be the next leader.

• Then the game leader touches with hand that participant, and he / she becomes the new leader and the game continues.

«Sunīši»The small dogs

• The game can be played by unlimited number of players.

• Game area: free playground area.• At the beginning participiants select the playground

area for running.• Players select one of participiants – «The small dog»,

who will catch the rest players. • When the catcher succeds to catch another player, he /

she tap this child with hand.• The caught child becomes «The small dog» and starts

to catch other players.• This game has a lot of variation in names for runners

and catchers and for methods of capturing.

Klusie telefoniSilent phones

• The game can be played by unlimited number of players.• Game area: free area.• Members of game sit together in one line making «telephone

wire». The leader of game acts as «telephonist». • He / she sits in the end of line and silently whispers a word in an

ear of the first player. Usually the leader uses long, unusual words of sentences.

• The first player silently says this word to next player, as he / she heard and understood, till this word is said to all participiants.

• Then «telephonist» asks the last player, did phone work propertly – was the name correctly heard and understood. If the last player doesn’t understand this word or says it wrong, the the leader aks the previous players to find errors.

• That player, who knows the word right, becomes the new «telephonist» and the game starts again.

Namiņš deg!House is burning!

• The game can be played by unlimited number of players.• Game area: free playground, a circle• The players stand in a circle with the faces to the centre,

one player - leader stands outside the circle. • Leader goes round the circle behind the players and

knocks somebody’s back saying: ”Namiņš deg!” - “The house is burning!”

• As soon as the player touches somebody’s back and shouts: ”The house is burning!”, both players run round the circle each taking the opposite direction. Both runners try to get as the first into the empty place.

• The player who can’t reach the empty place the first and stays outside the circle, continues the game.

Adam had seven sons• Players: unlimited number• Players make a circle. One player or one pair goes into the middle of the

circle. • The other players move around holding each other in hands and they sing:

“Ādamam bij’ septiņ’ dēli, septiņ dēli, ne tie ēda, ne tie dzēra, ne tie zina”. • The players who are in the middle think of the movements they will show

other players when the song is over. • When the song is over, the other players have to imitate the movements

performed by the players in the middle. • Those, who cannot imitate it, exchange their positions with the players

from the middle.• In the case all players can repeat the trick, the players stay in the middle

and the game starts from the beginning.

• The song “Adam had seven sons”Adam had seven sons, seven sons,who didn’t eat, who didn’t drink, who don’t know what to do.Everyone is doing this!

Enjoy playing! Good luck!