TRADITIONAL TURKISH CHILDREN’S GAMES

Every region of Turkey has a different history of cultural games the children have played, but similarities exist between the games in different regions. Some games have a history throughout Turkey and even into other countries.

Children's games can involve objects, such as sticks, pebbles, balls or knuckle-bones. The game may be an active game, with jumping and running, or be a riddle, rhyme or game accompanied by a song.

In Turkey, traditional children’s games

festivals are held in lots of schools every year in order to hand down the children’s games to the next generations.

Lets watch a beginning of a traditional children’s games festival and then learn some Turkish games.

TRADITIONAL CHILDREEN’S GAMES FESTIVAL FROM TURKEY

1-Name of the game :YAĞ SATARIM BAL SATARIM.( I SELL BUTTER I SELL HONEY)

Numbers of participants : Min.5 players

Materials : Handkerchief

Rules of the game :

Players sit as to form a circle. Midwife begins to hover by taking a handkerchief to his/her hand. Begins to croon the lyrical twister in the form “I sell butter I sell honey, my master died I sell, my master’ s root is yellow, what if I sell it is 15 lira. Lily mily, look your back carefully”. Midwife drops the handkerchief to back of one of the players while he/she hovers. If the player realises the handkerchief, takes it and begins to cease after the midwife.

Midwife hovers the circle once again and sits that players place. If the player unrealised the handkerchief, midwife

takes it and begins to hit the back of that player. The player then stands up and runs the circle in front of the midwife and sits back to own place. So the play goes on.

I SELL BUTTER I SELL HONEY- YAĞ SATARIM BAL SATARIM…

2-Name of the game : NINE STONES

Numbers of participants : 8 - 10 players

Materials : Stones , a ball

Rules of the game :

Played with 8–10 players. Firstly two groups are formed. Each group consists of 4–5 players. Then normal

weighed stones – generally small marble stones are used – are set up overlapping. Player chosen the midwife tries

to knock over the stones with a ball from a certain distance. Midwife has to run away as soon he/she knocks down

the stones. The ball this time is on the hands of the other group and this group tries the stones not to be overlapped

by midwife his/her group. When midwife and his/her group completes the overlap of the stones without knocking

by the ball, they beat the other team 1 to 0.

NINE STONES - DOKUZ TAŞ

3-Name of the game ; BEZİRGANBAŞI (OPEN THE DOOR, HEAD MERCHANT)

Numbers of participants : 6 - 10 players

Materials : Chalk

Rules of the game :

Two players choose code names for themselves. Then faced with each other and grasp hands in order to form the

door of the play. Other players make a row. By saying “Merchant; open the door” they walk through the

midwives. Midwives hold their hands and let the player go in, whisper their code names to the eyes of the player,

ask to choose one of it. By told code names randomly, each midwife forms his/her team. This continues until the

last player. Soon a line is drawn on the floor/ground, each team takes their place. All the players grasp with each

other from their waists. First players hold hands by placing their foot on the line, and the groups begin to fetch

each other. When a group fetches the other to their line, they win.

BEZİRGANBAŞI - OPEN THE DOOR , HEAD MERCHANT

4- Name of the game : KÖŞE KAPMACA (SNAP UP CORNER)

Numbers of participants : 4 – 6 players Materials : Corners Rules of the game :

it is an outdoor game but it can also be played indoor. A square is drawn on the ground. Midwife stands in the middle.Other players stands on the corners. Players try to change their places with each other avoiding from caught by the midwife. Player who has caught by midwife during this place interchange, looses his/her spot/corner and becomes the midwife. Players pretend that they are changing their spots/corners in order to cheat the midwife. This play is very entertaining.

SNAP UP CORNER- KÖŞE KAPMACA

5-Name of the game : ESKİCİ MİNDER - OLD CUSHION Numbers of participants : Min. 6 players Materials : - Rules of the game : The players make a circle and select one player among them. The selected one

sits in the middle of the circle and he/she is called as “Old Cushion” during the game. Other players turn around him/her and sing the song:

 

“Old cushion show your face,

If you don’t, make a pose.

Is it beauty?

Is it ugliness?

Or being a statue near the pool?

  By finishing of the song, the Old Cushion stands up and says one of these:

“beauty”, “ugliness” or “being a statue near the pool”. The players make the selected pose and The Old Cushion chooses the best pose among the players according to him/her and the chosen one will be the next Old Cushion. The game goes on like this until all the players’ being Old Cushion.

ESKİCİ MİNDER ( OLD CUSHION )

6-Name of the game : MENDİL KAPMACA - TISSUE SNATCH

Numbers of participants : 10 players

Materials : A tissue , chalk

Rules of the game :

Tissue Snatch is played between the two groups having equal amount of players. Teams, leaving 20 – 25 meters of distance in between, line in parties. 50 cm diameter of a circle is drawn in the middle of the distance and a tissue or another material is put on the middle of the circle.

A referee or a captain is choosen. This referee/captain could stand in the mid of the circle and handle the tissue/material. When the referee/captain shouts like “fifths”, the fifth players of the teams run to snatch the tissue/material, the player who gets the tissue/material runs away and the

other tries to catch him/her. If tissue/material snatched player returns to team without caught by the other player, makes the team win 1 point. It the other player catches the tissue/material snatched player, his/her team looses 1 point. Upon the tissue/material snatched player’ s return to team without being caught, referee/captain shouts another number and the play goes on. The more point gained team wins the play.

TISSUE SNATCH

7-Name of the game : İSTOP - STOP Numbers of participants : Min. 3 players Materials : A ball Rules of the game : .. This is a play that is played at outer places at good weathers with three or

more players as girls and boys together. If the number of players could be more the play becomes more enjoyable. Midwife takes the mid place and throws the ball to the air and says the name of

one player. Name’ s told player tries to catch the thrown ball. As soon he/she catches the ball yields “STOP”. Meanwhile the other players try to run as far as they can. But at the time ball master says “STOP”, all the other stop and stay where they are. The holder of the ball throws the ball to the air and say a name again. If name’s told player can’t cath the ball on the air, he/she takes the ball on the ground and say stop. He/ she becomes new midwife. Midwife throws the ball and say a color, other players try to touch something with that color . Midwife trys to hit other players before they find and touch the color. The one who can’t find the color and touch it is hit by the midwife and he /she becomes new midwife. The game goes on like this.

İSTOP – (STOP)

8-Name of the Game:ÇATLAK PATLAK..

Any number of players sit or stand in a circle with their palms up, right hands held over the neighbor's left. In time with the chant (every quarter note) each player in turn brings their right hand across to slap their neighbor's right palm. Thus the action moves clockwise around the circle. On the last word of the chant, the player whose hand is about to be struck must pull their hand away thus making the person to their right (the clapper) slap their own hand. If the clapper succeeds in hitting the clappee, the clappee is eliminated, if the clappee removes their hand in time, the clapper is eliminated. Either way, the game starts again and is repeated until there are two winners. ÇATLAK PATLAK YUSYUVARLAK …..

ÇATLAK PATLAK YUSYUVARLAK…

9- Name of the game : TOPAÇ - GYROSCOPE

Numbers of participants : Min. 2 players

Materials : A gyroscope

Rules of the game :

It is made of wood in the form of an ellipse with a sharp tip. Rope is wrapped around a spinning top. One end of

the rope is connected to the finger. Players toss it as quickly as possible. The winner is the one who spins the

gyropcope long time. Few people can play the game at the same time. Gyroscope is adapted to the present day as Byblade.

10-Beş Taş Five Stones

The game is played with five stones. The players start by casting the stones on the ground and then trying to pick them up one-by-one, and then in groups of two, three and four.

In the second part of the game, called köprü (bridge), the players must pass the stones one-by-one first through their thumb and forefinger, then through their forefinger and middle finger, middle finger and ring finger and finally their ring finger and little finger.

In the last part of the game, they throw all the stones in the air and try to catch stones on the top of the hand. The stones caught are then grabbed by the same hand. The number of stones caught is entered into the player’s score. Whoever fails to catch a stone or comes in last in the “bridge” part, is out of the game. Whoever reaches the agreed-upon number first, wins the game.

11-Name of the game : Egg and Spoon Race

Numbers of participants : Min. 2 players

Materials : spoon and egg

Rules of the game :

With a music the race starts. Players carry an egg on a spoon between their lips.

12- Name of the game : Çuval yarışı- Sack Race

Materials: sacks

A race in which competitors stand in a sack or similar item and try to be the first to jump to the finish line.

Playing games is an important activity for our child �ren’s social and mental development.

Through games our children can also learn about teamwork,sportsmanship, critical thinking and collaboration.

Games create courage and inspire our children to prove themselves as the best at what they do. They teach them how to make quick decisions and how to work well under pressure.

Thus, LET’S TEACH OUR CHILDREN TRADITIONAL CHILDREN’S GAMES AND PLAY TOGETHER.

THANKS…

HATİCE ALTINTAŞ

MİMAR SİNAN PRIMARY SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER