Filipino Traditional Games for Kids

While I was walking yesterday, I saw a group of children playing ‘luksong baka’. They were having fun while enjoying the game. Then I remember my childhood days twenty five years ago. I also use to play that kind of game with my neighboring kids especially on weekends. As years went by, these Filipino traditional games for kids are slowly disappearing. You can rarely see Filipino kids playing patintero, tumbang preso, luksong tinik, luksong baka, taguan, syato, habulan, etc. These games were replaced by gadgets like xbox, playstation, nintendo, and kids are more exposed to Western Sports activities.

Amidst the popularity of these latest game gadgets and non-Filipino sports, we must not lay aside and forget our traditional games. We must always remember that this is our cultural heritage and treasure. There are many known traditional Filipino games for kids, but I will only name the Filipino traditional games that I still remember when I was a kid.

PATINTERO

1. Patintero – this is a popular game not only for kids, but including adults.

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I remember that we played this game not only in the morning, but sometimes in the evening when it is full moon. We used chalk or water to make lines. The rule of the game is very simple: make it sure that you can cross the line without being catch or touch by the other group.

PIKO

2. Piko – this is the Filipino version of hopscotch. I always see my two sisters playing this game when they were still kids, because it is a popular game among the girls.

LUKSONG TINIK 3. Luksong Tinik – Two players will be the base by putting their right feet or left feet together. While the other players will jump without touching the two players feet. LUKSONG BAKA 4. Luksong Baka – It is a popular variation of luksong tinik. The ‘it’ will bend while the other players will jump over him/her. The bending player will gradually stands up as the game continues. A jumper who will not be able to jump over, or touch the ‘it’ while jumping will become the next ‘it’.

TUMBANG PRESO

5. Tumbang Preso – This is a Filipino street game among kids. I really enjoyed this game a lot. The ‘it’ will be in charged of the tin can, while the other players will strike it using their slippers (pamato). The rules of the game varies in different places.

TAGUAN

6. Taguan – This is the American version of hide-and-seek. The ‘it’ will say these phrase while the players are looking for their place to hide. “Tagu-taguan maliwanag ang buwan. Pagbilang ko nang sampu nakatago na kayo. Isa,dalawa,tatlo,apat,lima,anim,pito,walo,siyam,sampu.” After the counting is done, he/she will locate those who are hiding. This game is more challenging when it is done in the evening. My father told me that he and his siblings always play this game when it is full moon in the evening.

SAWSAW SUKA

7. Sawsaw-suka – The ‘it’ has/her palm open. The other players will touch his palm using their index finger while singing this song –“sawsaw suka mahuli taya'”. The ‘it’ will catch any players finger after the songs.

BAHAY-BAHAYAN

8. Bahay-bahayan – This is a very good game for kids. They will act as a family member. Each of them will be given a responsibility like cooking,taking care of an imaginary baby,etc. I remember that my playmates always bring small cooking objects made of clay, while I am in charge of building our small imaginary house made from banana leaves or blankets.

TEKS GAME

9. Teks – These are game cards which contain comic strips and texts within speech balloons. We played these cards by tossing it to the air until it hit the ground. We used our thumbs and forefingers to toss the cards. The winner will collect cards on how the cards are laid upon hitting the ground.

JAK N POY

10. Jack and Poy – This is the American version of rock-paper-scissors. Two players will do rock-paper-scissors while saying these words-“Jack and Poy, hale hale hoy, sinong matalo syang unggoy.

HOLEN

11. Holen – We used marbles to play this game. You must be a sharpshooter to win this game. It is played by aiming at the marbles inside the circle. You must hit the marbles inside by flicking your fingers while holding your own marbles. Whoever gets the most marbles win the game.

SIPA

12. Sipa – The object that is being used in this game is called ‘sipa’. It is toss upward for the player to kick it using the foot. The player will kick it as long as he wants. However, the ‘sipa’ must not touch the ground. The player with most number of kicks wins the game.

LANGIT LUPA

13. Langit Lupa – You need to say these lyrics in choosing the ‘it’ while pointing to the player one by one-“langit lupa impyerno. im im impyerno. Saksak puso tulo anf dugo, patay buhay alis diyan.” The player will be the ‘it;, if he/she is pointed after the song. Then the ‘it’ will chase and tag the players who remain on the ground. A player cannot be tag if he/she will stay above the ground.

Filipino Games

Like any other country in the world, Philippines have many different games that are played as a past time, or simply for recreational purposes. Some games are more popular and more well-known than the others, but the three games that stuck out at me were Tubigan, Sungka, and Culliot. Tubigan, also known as Patintero, is played outdoors. The players are divided into two equal teams. Based on a coin toss, one team becomes the runners, and the other becomes the tagger. The object of the runner is to get through all the lines back and forth without being tagged.

To set this game up, the ground is marked off in a 5 or 6 meter rectangle divided into four equal parts. The taggers stand 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the marked lines. Tagger number 1 can go anywhere to tag the runners. Taggers 2, 3, and 4 must have both feet on the marked lines, and can only tag the runner as they cross their lines or as they get near them. As soon as the runners cross line 4, he must return to line 2 and call out “Tubig! ” scoring a point for his team. The runners must score a clean pass within 2 minutes; otherwise a turnover will be called.

Sungka, known as mancala in Southern Asia, has been around in the Philippines for as long as anyone can remember. The sungka board is a small treasure – the older it is, the more precious, it sits on a side table or a top bench, waiting to be played. The sungka board is a shallow boat made of solid wood. The whole length of the boat is lined in seven small bowls carved in pairs, with two large deep bowls carved out at both ends (bahay) for captured “sigay”. The props needed for this game are pebbles, “sigay” or shells, or seeds. In each small pit are initially 7 “sigay. ” Sungka is always played by two people.

At each turn a player empties one of his small pits and then distributes its contents in a counterclockwise direction, one by one, into the following pits including his own store, but passing the opponents store. If the last stone falls into a non-empty small pit, its contents are lifted and distributed in another lap. If the last stone is dropped into the player's own store, the player gets a bonus move. If the last stone is dropped into an empty pit, the move ends. If the move ends by dropping the last stone into one of your own small pits you capture the “sigay” in the opponent's pit directly across the board and your own stone.

The captured “sigay” are deposited in your store. However, if the opponent's pit is empty, nothing is captured. The first move is played simultaneously. After that play is alternately. The first player to finish the first move may start the second move. However, in face-to-face play one player might start shortly after his opponent so that he could choose a response which would give him an advantage. There is no rule that actually could prevent such a tactic. So, in fact, the decision-making may be non-simultaneous. You must move if you can. If you can't a player must pass until he can move again.

The game ends when no “sigay” are left in the small pits. The player who captures most “sigay” wins the game. The game culliot is similar to the game of tug-of-war. Two or more players can play this. The purpose of this team is to pull the other team over the borderline. The equipment needed is a 15-meter long rope with a diameter of 3. 81 centimeters. Each team must have an equal number of players. The teams are placed five meters away from each other. Both ends of the rope should be tied on the waist of the last player while the others hold on to the rope.

A piece of ribbon or handkerchief is tied onto the centerline of the rope. Upon the signal to start, each team pulls the other, attempting to pull the opposing team over the borderline, thus becoming the winner. In my opinion, the cultural aspect of these games teaches teamwork, skill, wit, as well as strength. Growing up, I have played all of the above games. I had no idea that they were Filipino games, except for sungka. I like these games because it brought my family and I closer together; my cousins and I especially. These games taught us how to work as a team, think about our decisions before we make a move, and wit.