Portuguese Traditional Games

Playing in the past In those days life was less stressful and television or computer games were not the main entertainment.

Children would mostly play with toys built by themselves or bought for special occasions

Games commonly played during break time at school

Macaca Hopscotch Children draw grids on the sidewalk or on the ground and then jump or hop from one end of the grid to the other.

Pião Spinning Top Roll up the string around the top and throw it to the floor. Try to knock over the other players' tops. The person whose top is spinning in the end is the winner.

Jogo do Lencinho Handkerchief Game

Form a circle of players facing each other. A person will go around on the outside of the circle and will drop a handkerchief behind one of the other players. After finding the handkerchief, that person has to chase after the person that dropped it. The first one to sit in the empty spot wins.

Cabra-Cega Blind Goat One person is blindfolded in the middle of a circle and spins around twice. The other players mingle around him. The blindfolded person has to catch a player and guess who he / she is. If the guess is correct, they exchange places, if it isnt, he keeps on trying.

Jogo do anel The Ring Game The players sit in a circle with their hands out stretched and closed. One participant hides a ring between his hands and goes by each player trying to let it drop in their closed hands. A player is named to guess who has the ring. If he guesses right, they exchange places, if he doesnt,the one who has the rings goes to the middle and repeats the game.

Skipping rope One or more people jump over a rope swung so that it passes under the feet and over the heads. Jump-rope rhymes are often chanted beginning when the skipper jumps in and ending when the skipper is tripped up.

Caçadinha Tag and Chase The object is to tag, or touch, other players who are then out of the game. Usually one player is 'it' and has to chase and tag the other players, one of whom then becomes the new person who is 'it'.

Escondidinhas Hide and Seek Someone is picked to be it (the person to seek) then he/she turns around and counts with their eyes closed at the "base" while the rest of the people hide. Then "It" says "Ready or Not, Here I Come" and rushes to find everyone. Everyone tries to get to base without getting tagged or else they are "It".

CARICA Caps game Draw a track or a curved path on the ground Each player must push his bottle cap to the other end of the runway, without passing the lines that define the track.

Berlindes Marbles Draw a circle in the ground and three holes inside. Take turns shooting your marble from outside the ring into each hole. After succeeding, you can now try to eliminate your partners. Use the Shooters (bigger marbles) to knock out or drive other marbles out of the ring.

Competition Games

Corrida do saco Sack Racing Each participant places himself inside a sack, grabbing it on each side of the waist. At the signal, the players jump forward from a starting point toward a finish line. The first person to cross the finish line is the winner.

Corrida da batata ou do ovo Potato or Egg race Each participant has a potato or an egg placed on a spoon. They race, carrying the spoon in their mouth without dropping anything.

CORRIDA A TRÊS PÉS Three-legged race It involves two participants attempting to complete a short sprint with the left leg of one runner strapped to the right leg of another runner. The object is for the partners to run together without falling over, and beat the other contestants to the finish line.

Pneus ou aros Tyres or Rings With the help of two sticks, each player drives his tyre along a traced path. The first to cross the finish line ends.

Tug of War Two or more players can play it. It is only required a long strong rope. The purpose of a team is to pull the other team over the borderline.

Corrida com Andarilhos Stilt race Several players may participate in this game. The equipment needed is two pieces of wooden stilt with a stepladder, the height of which is centimeter from the ground. The principle of the game is to walk on stilt from a starting line to the finish line. The length to be travelled is a few meters.

Jogo do Sapo (Toad Game) Each player has to toss and insert a disc or bean bag into one or more of the holes, or in the toads mouth. The person who scores the most points wins.

Jogo da Argola (Ring Toss Game) At a distance, each player tosses 4 rings to loop around a stick. Each stick has a number (1,2,3,4 or 5). The one in the middle has the highest point. The person who scores the most points wins.

Malha Very popular recreational game in the country. The aim of the game is to knock down a pin or a marker.

Mata Two teams play by throwing a ball to the opposite side, trying to kill as much opponents as possible. The ball can also be sent to their colleague at the end of the court.

Have fun playing!

Work done for the Comenius Project Lets Keep the Memories Alive E.B.I Monsenhor Elísio Araújo