10 Filipino games that families can play

Teach your kids some traditionall Filipino games get them tipping down cans, stealing bases and jumping over hands just like you used to do.

10 Filipino games that families can play

Have you decided what to do for the afternoon at home or coming weekend? Take the kids to a park or have some good old-fashioned indoor Filipino games at home! Maybe it's time to teach them about the games we used to play when we were their age.

To help you decide on which game to play, we've put together a list of games we would play before and after uwian at school, or on the weekend with neighbors. Time to be the best "It" you can be!

Piko

Number of players: At least one player

How to play it: In this Filipino version of hopscotch, Mom or Dad throws his pato (a flat rock or piece of terra cotta) on the diagram so that it lands on the Number 1 block and never on the lines. He hops on one foot along the diagram, moving from one numbered block to the next each block, but skipping the block where the pato is. The player needs to skip back after reaching Block 10, and makes a stop one block before the pato's current block—and while balancing on one foot—picks up the pato before hopping over the block to beyond the diagram's starting line.

The game continues with the same player throwing the pato on to the next block, following the numerical order, and then hops on to the diagram's blocks just like in the previous round. In piko, players keep their turns until they make a mistake. Don't forget the bonus round and let your kids see that you are the piko master--until they beat you, that is.

Patintero

Number of players: at least three players on each team

How to play it: Start off by showing the kids how to draw the patintero parallel lines on the playing field. The number of lines must be equal to the number of players on one team, so you might need some cousins, aunts and uncles to play. The defending team's members each stand on one line. The other team begins as a group before the first line then try to pass each defender until they reach the other side of the playing field.

To stop the offensive team, the defending team will try to touch or tag the offensive team's members but the defenders cannot step off from their designated lines. The team whose members all make it to the other side wins a point. The sides switch when a defender catches an offensive team player.

Sungka

Number of players: Only two

How to play it: This traditional game requires a sungka set, a canoe-shaped wooden tray with two rows of 7 pits and a larger pit at each end, called the bahay. Mom or Dad can start by distributing 7 cowrie shells (or chosen small objects) into each regular-sized pit, leaving the bahay empty.

For the first turn, each player—at the same time—gathers a handful of shells from a pit of his choice and drops one piece into each bahay next to it. He needs to remember to drop one into his own bahay (but not his opponent's). Two things can happen: the last shell drops on another pit with shells, and the turn continues with a new handful; or the shell lands in an empty pit and the turn ends. See a more detailed description of the rules %here.

Langit Lupa

Number of players: At least three

How to play it: The game (which literally translates to Heaven-Hell) starts with an oddly morbid, but catchy, rhyme to determine the taya or "It." Either Mom or Dad can be the taya at first, and can immediately start running after the other players, unless the kids find something a step higher to stand on: the langit.

The "It” has to tag anyone who goes down from higher ground ('heaven' or 'langit')—this person becomes the new "It." Once the kids get used to the rules, you can up the difficulty. Tell the kids to transfer from one 'langit' to another so no one stays on higher ground indefinitely.

Luksong Baka

Number of players: At least three players

How to play it: Before starting a game of Luksong Baka (awkwardly translating to Leaping Over Cow), make sure that your kids are big enough to play, especially if Mom or Dad is going to be taya. The "It" then kneels on the ground and crouches as low as possible while the kids have to jump or leap over the former, taking turns. The jumper needs to avoid grazing or having any physical contact with the "It," with one exception: he can use his hands to touch the "It" while he makes his jump.

After everyone has taken his turn and successfully leaped over the "It," the game levels up. The taya makes the jump more difficult by raising his hunched body in a way to make the players jump higher (if his playmates are really good, the 'It' gets to stand up!). Whoever grazes the "It" with other than their hands becomes the new "It."

Tagutaguan

Number of players: At least two

How to play it: This is just hide-and-seek as traditionally played in the countryside or bukid, so you can try this with the kids on trips to the province, with Mom or Dad as the first "It." The taya has to stay at a designated spot, or "base," and count to ten (or to any agreed number). During this time, the other players have to find a place to hide. Once the countdown is done, the "It" tries to find the hiding players.

When he finds a player, he makes a run for the base, racing to get to the base first. If the found player gets back too late, after the "It" touches the base, he or she becomes the new "It" and the game begins again. If all players make it to the base before the taya, the game starts over with the same "It."

Luksong Tinik

Number of players: Two teams, at least three players, with Mom or Dad on one team

How to play it: The teams playing Luksong Tinik (Leaping Over Thorns) should have the same number of players, if you have bigger kids. For families with smaller kids, Mom or Dad can be the single member of the other team to even the field.

Each team designates their "mother," preferably the one who can jump the highest. Using their hands and feet, they form a wall of tinik (thorns) that the other team has to jump over. If one member of the team's body grazes the tinik, that team's "mother" has to save that person by jumping over the tinik again, but at a higher difficulty.

Doctor Quack Quack

Number of players: At least four

How to play it: Let Mom or Dad start as the "doctor" and everyone else as the "patients." The "patients" hold hands in a circle. The "doctor" counts to a hundred while he averts or closes his eyes. During this time, the "patients" work to get their circle twisted and tangled as much as they can. It's up to the patients to determine how to loop their arms, limbs, and bodies together which they will present to the "doctor" after the countdown.

It's the job of the "doctor" to untangle the players, giving them directions to unloop arms, to jump, or to climb over each other without letting each other's hands go. Once the 'patients' are untangled and everyone is back to being in a circle with linked hands, the "doctor" severs one pair of linked hands and the "patients" scatter while the "doctor" tries to tag the next person to take his role.

Tumbang Preso

Number of players: At least six players

How to play it: To play Tumbang Preso (Felled Can), you need a tin can and one rubber slipper (or shoe, depending on house rules) for everyone who isn't taya. The 'It' stands near the can at a designated point on one side of the play area while the other players stand at a set distance from the can, slippers in hand. Dad or Mom can be taya first.

The object of the game is for the players to pitch the can over by taking turns at throwing their slippers at the can. Once the can falls over, the players have to run and get their slippers back before the "It" gets to place the fallen (or rolled over) can back upright and tag any one of them. The tagged person becomes the new "It" and a new round begins.

Screen cap taken from: Lee Hernandez's YouTube channel

Agawan Base

Number of players: Two teams with at least two players for each team

How to play it: Keep things "fair" by pairing up Dad with the younger kids and Mom with the older children. If you have a kuya or ate in the family, you can have the middle child in that team as well.

Directly translating to 'Stealing Bases', this game requires each team to designate a "base," which can be any location that has to be guarded from being touched by a player from the other team. Each player tries to stealthily "steal" the other team's base, while avoiding getting caught. Once someone from one team touches the other team's 'base' and manages to return to his, he has "stolen" that base and his team wins.

Play Filipino games with the family at Sky Life's "Playback Rewind"

If going through this gallery brought you down memory lane and got you excited to play the games with your kids, then head on down to Rockwell Tent on July 11, 2015 for Sky Life's "Playback Rewind" event.

Starting at 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm, you and your family are invited to an afternoon full of family bonding, Filipino games, delicious treats and fun music! For more details, click here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dana Santos
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Written by

Danielle Ann Abesames-Santos

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