Traditional games in the Philippines 

       These are games commonly played by children, usually using native materials or instruments. In the Philippines, due
to limited resources of toys of Filipino children, they usually come up on inventing games without the need of anything
but the players themselves. With the flexibility of a real human to think and act makes the game more interesting and
challenging. Because it is a tradition for Filipinos to play in a bigger and spacious area, most games are usually played
outside the house. Some games are played or held during town fiestas in the provinces. These games of Filipino children
include the following:

Agawan Base

There are two teams with two bases. How many players on each team depends on the players. There are two bases
which each team claims as their own. The goal is to tag the other team's base without getting tagged. If you're tagged,
you're transferred to the other team and must be rescued. There are several variations in which the rules are changed,
in some, you can connect other items on the base so you can easily touch the base.There are usually set points, such as
first team to tag the other team 5 times wins. You can tag other people who has touched their base before you and are
on the opposite team. If they've touched their base after you've touched your base, they can tag you, and you can't tag
them.

Agawang sulok

- catch and own a corner - The it or tagger stands in the middle of the ground. The players in the corners will try to
exchange places by running from one base to another. The it should try to secure a corner or base by rushing to any of
those when it is vacant. This is called "agawan base" in some variants, and "bilaran" in others

Araw-Lilim

- sun and shade - The it or tagger tries to tag or touch any of the players who is in direct contact with the light.
Bahay-Bahayan

A role-playing game where children act as members of an imaginary family, sometimes to the extent that one of them
becomes the family "pet." They then act out various household situations such as dinner, going to mass, and the like.

Bahay-Kubo

A hand-clapping game generally involving 4 people. They are split into two pairs, a pair having 2 people facing each
other, and all members from both pairs facing the center (the two pairs being perpendicular to each other). Each pair
then does a hand clapping "routine" while singing the "bahay kubo." At the middle of the song, each pair exchanges
"routines" with the other.

Bati-Cobra

This is a hitting and catching game. This game is played outdoors only by two or more players.

To play this game, 2 pieces of bamboo sticks (1 long, 1 short) are required. A player acts as a batter and stands opposite
the others players at a distance. The batter holds the long bamboo stick with one hand and tosses the short one with the
other hand. The batter then strikes the shorter stick with the longer stick. The other players will attempt to catch the
flying shorter stick. Whoever catches the stick gets the turn to be the next batter. If nobody catches the stick, any player
can pick it up. The batter then puts down the longer stick on the ground. The holder of the shorter stick will throw it with
the attempt to hit the longer stick on the ground. If the longer stick is hit, the hitter becomes the next Batter. If the
player with the shorter stick misses to hit the longer one, the same batter will continue.

Bulong-Pari

- whisper it to the priest - It is composed of two teams and an it. The leader of team A goes to the priest and whispers
one of the names of the players of team B. Then he returns to his place and the priest calls out, "Lapit!" ("Approach!").
One of the players of team B should approach the priest, and if it happens to be the one whom the leader of team A
mentioned, the priest will say, "Boom" or "Bung!" The player then falls out of line and stays somewhere near the priest
as a prisoner.

Buwan-Buwan

A rough circle is drawn on the ground and one person from the group is tagged. He is not allowed to enter the circle, but
instead has to touch one of the people inside the circle without having entered it. If he succeeds, he can enter the circle,
and the person touched becomes the next one tagged.
Calahoyo ("Hole-in")

This is an outdoor game by two to ten players. Accurate targeting is the skill developed in this game because the
objective of each player is to hit the anak (small stones or objects) with the use of the pamato (big, flat stone), trying to
send it to the hole.

A small hole is dug in the ground, and a throwing line is drawn opposite the hole (approx 5 to 6 metres (16 to 20 ft) away
from the hole). A longer line is drawn between the hole and the throweing line. Each player has a pamato and an anak.
All the anak are placed on the throwing line, and players try to throw their pamato into the hole from the throwing line.
The Player whose pamato is in the hole or nearest the hole will have the chance for the first throw. Using the pamato,
the first thrower tries to hit the anak, attempting to send it to the hole. Players take turns in hitting their anak until one
of them gets into the hole, with the players taking turns a complete round and so on. The game goes on until only one
anak is left outside the hole. All players who get their anak inside the hole are declared winners, while the one with the
anak left outside the hole is the alila (loser) or muchacho. Alila orMuchacho will be 'punished' by all the winner/s as
follows:

·         Winners stand at the throwing line with their anak beyond line A-B (longer line between hole and throwing line).
The winners hit their anak with their pamato. The muchacho picks up the pamato and returns it to the owner. The
winners repeat throwing as the muchacho keeps on picking up and returning the pamato as punishment. Winners who
fail to hit their respective anak will stop throwing. The objective is to tire the loser as punishment. When all are through,
the game starts again.

Chinese Garter

Two people hold both ends of a stretched garter horizontally while the others attempt to cross over it. The goal is to
cross without having tripped on the garter. With each round, the garter's height is made higher than the previous round
(the game starts with the garter at ankle-level, followed by knee-level, until the garter is positioned above the head). The
higher rounds demand dexterity, and the players generally leap with their feet first in the air, so their feet cross over the
garter, and they end up landing on the other side. Also, with the higher levels, doing cartwheels to "cross" the garter is
allowed.

Iring-Iring

- go round and round until the hanky drops - After the it is determined, he or she goes around the circle and drops a
handkerchief behind one of the players in the circle. If this player notices the handkerchief, he or she has to pick up the
handkerchief and go after the it around the circle. The it has to reach the vacant spot left by the player before the itis
tagged; otherwise, the it has to take the handkerchief and repeat the process all over again.
Juego de Anillo

A game notably Spanish in influence. The name literally translates to "game of rings." It involves riding a horse while
holding a dagger and "catching" rings hanging from a tree or some other structure using the dagger.

Juego de Prenda

- game of looking for the missing bird - There is no limit to the number of players that can play. Players sit in a circle with
the leader in the middle. Each player adopts a name of a tree or flower that is given by the leader. The leader recounts
the story of a lost bird that was owned by a king. He or she says, The bird of the king was lost yesterday. Did you find it,
Ylang-Ylang? The player who adopted the name of the Ylang-Ylang tree at once answers that he or she has not found it,
so the leader continues to ask the other trees whether the bird has hidden in them. If a player cannot answer after the
third count, he or she is made to deposit a thing he or she owns to the leader until the leader has been able to gather a
lot of things from the members.

Kapitang Bakod

- touch the post, or you're it! or hold on to the fence - When the it or tagger is chosen, the other players run from place
to place and save themselves from being tagged by holding on to a fence, a post, or any object made of wood or
bamboo.

Langit-Lupa

- heaven and earth - One "It" chases after players who are allowed to run on level ground (lupa) and clamber over
objects (langit). The "It" may tag players who remain on the ground, but not those who are standing in the "langit"
(heaven). The tagged player then becomes "It" and the game continues.

Lawin at Sisiw ("Hawk and Chicken")

This game is played by 10 or more players. It can be played indoors or outdoors.

One player is chosen as the 'hawk' and another as the 'hen'. The other players are the 'chickens'. The chickens stand one
behind the other, each holding the waist of the one in front. The hen stands in front of the file of chickens.

The hawk will 'buy' a chicken from the hen. The hawk will then take the chicken, asks him/her to hunt for food and goes
to sleep. While the hawk is asleep, the chicken will return to the hen. The Hawk wakes up and tries to get back the
chicken he bought while the hen and other chickens prevent the hawk from catching the chicken. If the hawk succeeds,
the chicken is taken and punished. If the hawk fails to catch the chicken, the hawk will try to buy another chicken.
Luksong-Baka

- jump over the cow - A popular variation of Luksong Tinik, one player crouches while the other players jump over
him/her. The crouching player gradually stands up as the game progresses, making it harder for the other players to
jump over him/her.

Luksong-Tinik

 - jump over the thorns - Two players serve as the base of the tinik (thorn) by putting their right or left feet together
(soles touching gradually building the tinik). A starting point is set by all the players, giving enough runway for the
players to achieve a higher jump, so as not to hit the tinik. Players of the other team start jumping over the tinik,
followed by the other team members.
Palosebo

- greased bamboo pole climbing - This game involves a greased bamboo pole that players attempt to climb. This games is
usually played during town fiestas, particularly in the provinces. The objective of the participants is to be the first person
to reach the prize—a small bag—located at the top of the bamboo pole. The small bag usually contains money or toys.

Patintero

 Harangang taga - try to cross my line without letting me touch or catch you - Each member of the group who is it stands
on the water lines. The perpendicular line in the middle allows the it designated on that line to intersect the lines
occupied by the it that the parallel line intersects, thus increasing the chances of the runners to be trapped.even only
one(1) member of a group is tagged the whole group will be the "it".

Piko

hopscotch- The players stand behind the edge of a box, and each should throw their cue ball. The first to play is
determined depending on the players' agreement (e.g. nearest to the moon, wings or chest). Whoever succeeds in
throwing the cue ball nearest to the place that they have agreed upon will play first. The next nearest is second, and so
on.

Pitik-Bulag

This game involves 2 players. One covers his eyes with a hand while the other flicks a finger (pitik) over the hand
covering the eyes. The person with the covered eyes gives a number with his hand the same time the other does. If their
numbers are the same, then they exchange roles in the game.

Sambunot

Sambunot is a Philippine game which may be played outdoors by ten or more players, but not to exceed twenty. The
goal in the game is to get the coconut husk out of the circle.
A circle is drawn on the floor, big enough to accommodate the number of players. A coconut husk is placed at the center
of the circle. The players position themselves inside the circle. At the signal ″GO,″ players will rush to the center to get
the coconut husk. Players may steal the coconut husk from another player in an attempt to be the one to take the husk
put of the circle. A player who is successful in getting out of the circle with the coconut husk wins, and the game starts
again. 

Sipa

- game of kick - The object being used to play the game is also called sipa. It is made of a washer with colorful threads,
usually plastic straw, attached to it. The sipa is then thrown upwards for the player toss using his/her foot. The player
must not allow the sipa to touch the ground by hitting it several times with his/her foot, and sometimes the part just
above the knee. The player must count the number of times he/she was able to kick the sipa. The one with most number
of kicks wins the game. Sipa is also the term used for the Filipino variant of Sepak Takraw.this game is
called"pambansang laro".

Taguan

-  hide and seek  in America. What is unique in Tagu-Taguan compared to its counterpart, hide and seek, is that this
game is usually played at sunset or at night as a challenge for the it to locate those who are hiding.

Takip-Silim

 - twilight game, look out, cover yourself! or take-cover game! - Participants usually step on couches, hide under tables,
or wrap themselves in curtains – much to the dismay of neat-freak parents.
Ten-Twenty

A game involving 2 pairs, with one utilizing a stretched length of garter. One pair faces each other from a distance and
has the garter stretched around them in such a way that a pair of parallel lengths of garter is between them. The
members of the other pair, then begin doing a jumping "routine" over the garters while singing a song ("ten, twenty,
thirty, and so on until one hundred). Each level begins with the garters at ankle-height and progresses to higher
positions, with the players jumping nimbly on the garters while doing their routines.

Tsato

- stick game, better be good at it - Two players, one flat stick (usually 3') and one short flat piece of wood (4" usually a
piece cut from the flat stick).

Player A hitter and Player B as the catcher. Played outside on the ground where you dig a small square hole (slanted)
where you put the small wood so it sticks out.

Player A hits the wood with the stick so it catches air enough to be hit by the stick.

The further the wood gets hit the more points you get (usually counted by the number of stick length

Player B on the other hand has to anticipate and catch the small piece of wood to nullify the points and become his turn
OR looks forward to Player A to miss hitting the wood.

Tumbang Preso

Tumbang Preso is a popular Filipino street game also known as Presohan.

The game requires 3 or more players. Each player is provided with a large throw-away object (could be slippers or a
shoe) called "pamato". A semi-flattened empty tin or plastic container (the size of an 8 or 12 oz. tins) is placed in upright
position 6 or 8 meters from the throwing line. A player is drawn as the prisoner (usually through a system like Jack en
Poy). The prisoner will guard the empty tin or container.

The other players stand at the throwing line. They take turns throwing their "pamato" at the empty tin, trying to knock it
down. As soon as the can is knocked down, the prisoner must put back the tin in upright position before he can tag the
any of the players attempting to recover their "pamato". If the "pamato" becomes too close to the tin in an upright
position, so that the prisoner can step on both with one foot, the owner of the "pamato" becomes the new "prisoner".
The prisoner can also tag the players while recovering their "pamato" outside the throwing line.

After each throw, a player must recover his "pamato". Should he be tagged by the prisoner before he reaches the
throwing line, he becomes the prisoner in the next game.

Ubusan Lahi

- game of conquer - One tries to conquer the members of a group (as in claiming the members of another's clan). The
tagged player from the main group automatically becomes an ally of the tagger. The more players, the better. The game
will start with only one it and then try to find and tag other players. Once one player is tagged, he or she then will help
the it to tag the other players until no other participant is left. Some people also know this a Bansai.

Teks

Teks or teks game cards - texted game cards - Filipino children collect these playing cards which contain comic strips and
texts placed within speech balloon. They are played by tossing them to the air until the cards hit the ground. The cards
are flipped upwards through the air using the thumb and the forefinger which creates a snapping sound as the nail of
the thumb hits the surface of the card. The winner or gainer collect the other players' card depending on how the cards
are laid out upon hitting or landing on the ground.

Maria went to town: Larong Pinoy

This game involves two groups of equal members standing on a line and both choosing their first member to be
the “Maria.”

At the start, the “Marias” should wear a duster and/or a bandanna, lipstick, basket, and an umbrella as fast as
they could and pass the base. After passing the obstacle, they should quickly remove all the equipment they
have worn and pass it to the next member until the last one.

The first team to finish wins the game

Catching a Greased Pig

The traditional game of this was done by all the contestants gathering around a fenced area. The referee would enter
the ring with the pig in a feed bag. When the referee reached the center of the ring, the pig was released and the game
 began. The game was won when one of the contestants could successfully catch the pig, the winner could then take the
pig home to eat or to raise.

Flying Fish is an entertaining team relay game also known as 'Kippers' in other countries. In this game,
teams must race each other while fanning their fish across the room.

Age: All ages

No. of players: Large groups (6 or more)

Equipment: A paper 'fish' for each player; a newspaper or magazine for each player; a dinner plate for
each team

Time: 10+ minutes

Aim: To fan the fish across the room.

1. Preparation: Cut out enough 'fish' for every player from heavy paper. Make them approximately 10 - 12
inches/25 - 30 cm long.

2. Put players in two teams (or more if a large group). Teams line up at one end of the room behind the
leader. Give each team a newspaper or magazine. At the other end of the room place a plate on the floor
for each team.

3. On the word "Go" the first player in each team puts his fish on the ground and begins fanning it across
the room until he gets it onto the plate. When he is finished he runs back to his team and passes on the
newspaper to the next player who puts his fish on the ground and starts fanning it towards the plate. The
game continues in this way until all players in the team have had their turn.

4. The winner is the first team to finish.

Bottle Fill Relay

Teams line up behind the bucket on one side of the field, while one member from the team lines down at the
other end, holding a bottle on their forehead.

To start, first member in line dips cup in bucket to fill it, runs to bottle and pours water from cup into the
bottle (cup must be held at least waste high when pouring into the bottle)

Once the cup of water is poured, the person pouring replaces the person holding the bottle. That person
returns to the other side with the cup and hands it off to the next person in line. This continues until the bottle
is filled.