Polish Kids Games

Many Polish children's games are similar to games played by children the world over. Hopscotch, blind man's bluff and Hacky Sack all have Polish versions, and there is even a board game similar to Monopoly which teaches Polish children the hardships faced by their parents and grandparents under communism.

Klasy, which means "sections" or "classes" in Polish, is a rectangle game similar to the American game hopscotch. Any number of children can play at one time. Start by drawing a rectangle with chalk on the sidewalk of pavement. Divide the rectangle in half vertically with a line, then draw two horizontal lines dividing the rectangle into six squares. With your chalk, number the squares 1 through 6 starting in the lower left square and continuing counterclockwise.

Each participant then takes a small rock or stone and throws it into square number 1. She then hops on one leg into square 1, picks up the stone and keeps hopping through the rest of the squares. Players must not lose their balance or hop on any lines. If they do, they are out and must repeat that square again on their next turn. If they complete their turn successfully, they may throw their rock into square 2 and continue as before until they finish all six rounds. The first one to finish all the rounds wins.

Traditionally a boys' game, Zoska means "footbag" in Polish and its rules are similar to those of Hacky Sack. To play, each boy stands in a three-foot-wide circle that he draws on the ground with chalk. The object of the game is to move the footbag from boy to boy without the use of hands or arms. For a player to remain in the game, he must successfully pass the footbag to the boy on his left without stepping out of his circle or letting the footbag touch the ground. If he does either or if he fails to get the footbag to reach the next boy, he is out. The last player remaining is the winner.

Blind woman is a group game similar to blind man's bluff. To begin, players choose a "blind woman" and cover her eyes with a dark cloth. The rest of the players then scatter away, and the blindfolded player must try to find and tag them. Whoever the blindfolded player touches becomes the new blind woman and play continues until everyone has had a chance to be blindfolded.

For safety's sake, play this game in an open area such as a field or backyard to prevent the blindfolded player from running into anything and being injured.

"Everything with Feathers Flies" is a table game for five to 10 children. The players choose a leader, who calls out an animal. If that animal has feathers, the other players hit the table and repeat the name of the animal called. If someone hits the table when an animal without feathers is called, he is out. The last person left is the winner and becomes the leader for the next game.

A game for three to seven players, salonowiec (pronounced sa-lo-no-vi-est) means "man about town" in Polish. To play, participants sit around a table and choose one player to start. That person bends over the table and closes her eyes. The other players crowd behind that person and one person taps her on the back. The seated player tries to guess who tapped her. If she guesses correctly, the person who tapped her takes her place at the table. If she guesses wrong, the other players keep on tapping the seated person one at a time until she guesses correctly.

Kolejka is a board game created by Poland's National Remembrance Institute. The name means "queue" or "line" and it was developed to help young Poles understand the hardships their parents and grandparents faced under communism. The goal of the game, which is for two to five players, is to try to buy everything on a shopping list. However, with each turn players are met with obstacles that prevent them completing their task and they must use special cards they are issued at the start of the game to try to overcome the difficulties that stand in their way. The first player to complete his shopping list wins.