Native American Projects: Explore Traditional Games

Playing games is an important activity in our childhood that often carries on into adulthood!

Who doesn’t like to play games! There are games we can play alone, and games we need someone to play with.

Traditional Native American games can be divided into 2 groups:

Games of Dexterity: This requires a physical skill. Think lacrosse or archery, or horseshoe! Some of these games require you to use hand-eye coordination.

Games of Chance: Think about dice games or spinning wheel games. You have no control over the outcome. Also included are guessing games. Did you ever hide something behind your back and ask your friend to guess which hand it is in? That is a guessing game!

**In this lesson we will explore how to create and play several Games of Chance. We will use materials found in your yard or around the house. The materials are simple and games are fun to play with any age. Keeping score creates a fun way to practice math skills too!

Included:

Focus Activity Q & A

Instructions to make 3 games

Template for students to create their own scoring system

Teacher Rubric

Art Standard checklist

Resources for additional research and teacher background information.

** Teacher note: traditional games from Indigenous Tribes and from many global cultures often have specific protocols and, in some games, ceremonies to play them correctly. This lesson focuses on creating simple games for young children. Check with your local tribes for guidance and additional information for your geographical area. I also recommend the book by Bruchac for a deeper dive into games.