This document contains explanations of two traditional children's games from Turkey. The first game involves children sitting in a circle while one child runs around the outside carrying a cloth. The running child secretly leaves the cloth behind one seated child while the others sing. When a clue is given in the song, the child with the cloth must try to catch the running child before they sit down in their place. The second game has two children act as "doorkeepers" by holding hands to make a bridge. Other children line up and pass under the bridge one by one while singing a song. The last child in line is chosen by the doorkeepers and must pick one of their secret nicknames to stand behind. The game

1. YAĞ SATARIM BAL SATARIM
Yağ satarım bal satarım / I am selling butter and honey
Ustam ölmüş ben satarım / My expert is dead and I am selling
Ustam öldü kürkü var / My expert has fur dress
Satmam on beş liraya / I do not sell it for 5 lira (very cheap)
Kömürlükte kömürlük
Hanımlara ömürlük
Beş param olsa / If I had 5 money
O da benim olsa/ It would be mine
Explanation of Game:
In this game, kids sit down in a circle facing each other. One person is "it" and walks around
the circle, carry a cloth and run around while all children singing. The song is repeated as
many times as one continues to run around.
He/ She does so many revolutions and the rule of the game is that for those children sitting,
nobody should look back. In the process, the one whose turn is to run around secretly and
quietly leaves the cloth behind one of those seated and continues to sing as if nothing has
happened. The fast person should have a way of making sure that when the cloth is put
behind him or her. The other players sitting can give a clue by changing the song and
singing the song “Kömürlükte kömürlük..” When he/she understand, he/ she pick cloth and
run after “it”. If “it” can sit the place where the other left, the person who cannot catch “it”
become new “it”. If he or she is able to catch “it” before he or she sits down, the “it” starts to
turn around the circle again while everybody singing. The game continues till they decide to
stop.

2. Aç kapıyı bezirgan başı bezirgan başı / Open the door head of merchant
Kapı hakkı ne alırsın ne verirsin/ What you take or give for gate
Arkamdaki yadigar olsun yadigar olsun / The person behind me become a memento
Bir sıçan iki sıçan üçüncü de kapan /One rat, two rat, third one is gin
Explanation of the game:
It is a group game which can be play with 8-10 children. Two children become door keeper
and choose a nick name for them without telling anybody. Two door keepers stand against
each other and hold their hands so as to create a bridge. Other players line up in front of the
door/bridge. All children start singing the song and “open the door head of merchant…”
merchant says; “what you take or give for gate”, and children say “the person behind me
become a memento”. The children pass under the bridge one by one. The door keepers
take the person who is last. And door keepers whisper him/her and ask to choose one of the
nick name (without saying which name belongs to whom). The child goes behind one door
keeper according to nickname that he/she chose. The game continues till every child goes
behind one door keeper. Then draw a line in the center of two door keepers and children
behind door keepers pull their groups from each others’ waist. The group who pass the line
lose the game.