Children's Games and Pastimes: Unplugged!

Traditional games are played throughout the world, by individuals and groups of all ages, with formal or informal rules, and at homes, schools, work, and a variety of community settings. Traditional games are most often learned by observing and participating in a game; teachers are most often a parent or other familiar adult, a sibling, or a friend.

Games play a critical role in fostering and maintaining ethnic and group identity, acquiring physical and intellectual skills, learning cultural knowledge, and developing and negotiating social relationships. At this year's Great Lakes Folk Festival, a variety of "unplugged" traditional games are featured; none require a computer chip or an Internet connection! Many more games will be available in the Children's Folk Arts Festival section of the festival.

At the Great Lakes Folk Festival, children (and their adult companions) can take part in a variety of fun, participatory, and educational activities. The Children's Folk Activities Area is located TO THE EAST OF THE VALLEY COURT STAGE and runs from noon to 6:00 P.M. Saturday and Sunday. (Note the location has changed this year due to City of East Lansing construction in the Valley Court Park area.)

Children's Traditional Culture
Even in infancy children begin participating in and learning traditional games such as peek-a-boo and patty-cake. Throughout childhood and adolescence they participate in traditional learning songs, rhymes, sayings, puzzles, rituals, customs and games with their peers, older youth, and adults. Although adults are clearly important teachers of all knowledge for children, much of children's traditions are passed on continuously from child to child; children are both the teachers and the learners. By the time children enter school they are already skilled in a wide realm of knowledge areas.

At this year's Great Lakes Folk Festival, children and their adult companions can take part in a variety of fun, participatory, educational, and on-going activities and games that are a staple of childhood-no electricity or computer chip required! This summer, dig in to some of these favorite summer pastimes.

Bingo
Play this party favorite, win prizes and play like you mean it.

Card games
Play the games you love, teach a friend, build a house of cards.

The empty box
The National Toy Hall of Fame recently inducted the cardboard box into its lineup of famous toys. Bring your imagination.

Hopscotch
Hop on one of our courts or make up your own using chalk or a rock.

Jump rope games and rhymes
Try jumping and rhyming, (that's at the same time). Double Dutch using two ropes.

Made up games with found objects
The festival is stockpiled with things kids can find lying around the house or outside to create some fun games.

Marbles
Our popular marble yard is back. You can't play for keeps, but you can play with our marbles before you go home.

String games and string figures
Get a loop of string and get busy. Make stuff happen.

Worms
What's more fun than playing with worms?

Yo-yos
Learn some basics and then move into tricks like Walk the Dog and Around the World.