5 Classic Filipino games to teach your kids

What you need:

• 6-10 players
• Chalk

How to play:

1. On the street, start by drawing a grid of 2-4 lines on the ground divided by a long line in the middle.
2. Divide the players into two teams. Pick a rep to determine sides.
3. Flip a coin or use scissors, paper, rock to determine who’s “It” or “Taya.”
4. The “It” team takes their positions in the grid. As line guards, they are only allowed to run within the horizontal lines. Player 1, or the “Patoto,” can traverse the vertical line as well.
5. All players from other team will run through the “It team” without being tagged.
6. If anyone gets tagged by the It team, the runners lose the round.
7. The team who successfully crosses the grid without being tagged wins.

What you need:

• 4-8 players
• A soft, firm surface such as grass or a gym mat

How to play:

1. Divide the players into two teams. Flip a coin to determine the “It” team.
2. Two players from the It team will start the “base” by sitting across each other on the ground, with their right feet touching (see diagram).
3. The other team assigns a “mother” (leader). All the players must jump over the base without touching it.
4. Every round, the It team adds an outstretched hand on top of the base. Their other teammates can also increase the height of the base.
5. If a player fails to jump without touching the base, the “mother” can save the player. If the “mother” fails, the team loses the round and the teams switch sides.

What you need:

• 3 players or more
• A wide indoor or outdoor area with hiding spots 

How to play:

1. The round starts with “maiba taya” (a quick show of hands, palms facing up or down). Odd one out is “Taya,” or It.
2. The Taya chooses a corner or post as the base, faces it, closes his or her eyes, and counts to ten. Everyone runs to find a hiding spot.
3. After the count, the Taya will try to find all the players. After all the players are found, everyone needs to run back to the base.
4. The next “Taya” can be the first person found, or the last person to reach the base.

What you need:

• 5-10 players
• A handkerchief

How to play:

1. Play “maiba taya” (see above). The Taya gets blindfolded.
2. The other players scatter and choose a spot as the Taya turns in his/her place 3 times.
3. The blindfolded Taya tries to catch one of the other players. They provide clues to the Taya by making animal sounds, or saying the Taya’s name repeatedly. They may also keep silent and give clues by touching or tickling the Taya.
4. The caught player becomes the Taya in the next round. 

What you need:

• 2-8 players
• Chalk
• “Pamato” pieces for each player (these can be flat pebbles or buttons)

How to play:

1. Draw a grid on the street or garage like the one above (this is just one version.
2. Each player chooses a pamato. The sequence of players can be determined by “maiba taya” or “Jack en Poy” (one round of scissors, paper, rock).
3. Each player throws his/her pamato into the grid. Each player should hop through the grid, one food per square, without landing on a line, on the square with the pamato, or without falling down. After reaching the last grid, the player makes his/her way back in the same manner, picking up the pamato.
4. Everyone who succeeds in the first round proceeds to the next rounds. Each round can be made more challenging by a player assigning a “house” among the squares that other players can’t hop in, or each player skipping through the grid while looking up at the sky.
5. The winner of the game is the last one standing.