This document summarizes several traditional games that were popular among children in Bulgaria in past generations. It describes the rules and objectives of games like hide-and-seek, tag, broken phone, dodgeball, blind man's buff, jumping rope, wishbone, tell me oracle, white butterflies, burn handkerchief, rubber band jumping, hopscotch, draughts, giants and dwarves, and balls. These games required little equipment and helped entertain children before the prevalence of electronic devices.

1. THE GAMES OF MY GRANDPARENTS’ CHILDHOOD PEYO YAVOROV SECONDARY SCHOOL BULGARIA

2. HIDE-AND-SEEK In Bulgaria indefinite number of children can play the game. One has to be chosen for “seeker” and the others are “hiders”. The seeker closes his eyes and counts slowly aloud to a certain number while the other players are hiding. Hiders should make a dash for Home Base, which is previously marked. Touching the base area makes a hider safe, and the aim of the game is to touch base without being tagged. The seeker continues to search for hiders and if he/shefinds none then he is the seeker again in the next game. However, if he finds and tags someone before they are able to touch base, he calls out in a loud ‘That’s Michael! But if the seeker confuses the name of the player the game starts from the beginning.

3. TAG In our country tag can begin really spontaneously and that is the most common way. Another way is to choose one of the players saying a rhyme and then he/she starts chasing the others. If he reaches someone he has to touch him saying the words “You chase!”. And that is how the game goes on.

4. BROKEN PHONE Broken phoneis a game that Bulgarian children play. Children are placed side by side in a row and the first one whispers in his neighbour’s ear any word, phrase or sentence. The action repeats until the last child hears the word and says it aloud. Very often the last child says something that has nothing to do with the original word and this is the fun of the game. If the final word is not correct, the child goes last in the telephone row.

5. DODGEBALL Dodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit. It is played by 4, 6, 10 and more participants who divide into two teams. Each team selects a "consul" and occupies a half of the playfield. Consuls stand behind the final line of the opponent team. A lot determines which team begins the game. The aim of each team is to hit with a ball and take out all the opponent players. The one that is hit and fails to catch the ball goes behind the final line of his "consul". The same rule applies if people try to catch the ball but drop it. Head shots will not be counted. It only eliminates the thrower immediately. If the ball remains in the playfield of his team, they have the right to continue the game. .

6. BLIND MAN'S BUFF Blind man's buff is played in a spacious area, such as outdoors or in a large room, in which one player, designated as "It", is blindfolded and gropes around attempting to touch the other players without being able to see them, while the other players scatter and try to avoid the person who is "it", hiding in plain sight and sometimes teasing them to make them change direction. In one of the versions “the blind man” has to guess who is the player that he has caught.

7. JUMPING ROPE Skipping rope (British English) or jump rope (American English) is the primary tool used in the game of skipping played by children and many young adults, where one or more participants jump over a rope swung so that it passes under their feet and over their heads. Jumping rope This may consist of one participant turning and jumping the rope, or a minimum of three participants taking turns, two of whom turn the rope while one or more jumps. This is called long rope. Sometimes the latter is played with two turning ropes; this form of the activity is called Double Dutch and is significantly more difficult.

8. WISHBONE To start the game a branched chicken or turkey bone ("furcula", referred to as a jaw bone or the wishbone) need to be broken by two players. Their goal is to pass an object under some pretext that the other will take. The player who has got the smaller part is the only one that should not take anything. When one opponent passes an object to the other, the recipient must say “I know!”, in this way you show the other that you do not forget about the game. If you do not say it, your friend says "One, two, three ... Wishbone " and that’s how he wins the game and you have to carry out his wish.

9. TELL ME, ORACLE! At least three kids should take part in this game. If you are the oracle you should sit in front of the kids and close your eyes with your head down. Then another child starts asking you pointing at one of them “Tell me, oracle! What should it be?” The oracle calls all the children by names of things, plants, animals or anything he can think of. In the end the oracle stands up, opens his eyes and chooses one of the names that he called the players. The kid that received the same name becomes the new oracle.

10. WHITE BUTTERFLIES White butterfliesis a game that is widespread all over Bulgaria. The participants are mainly girls. They arrange in a circle. Two girls hold their hands under the elbows and dance spinning around in the middle of the circle. Everybody sings: White butterflies, Where did you fly? Near is your way, Select your pals ... The first is mine The second is yours… While singing the last words each of the dancing girls runs to the others and selects one that encircles them. The new couple enters the circle and begins dancing under the accompaniment of the song.

11. BURN, BURN HANDKERCHIEF Burn, burn handkerchief In this game the children squat in a circle. Only one kid holds a handkerchief and runs around the circle singing “Burn, burn handkerchief, the dog is pulling it!”. His task is to drop the hanky behind one’s back. The one that gets the hanky stands up and starts chasing the other one and tries to take his place in the circle. This game is really funny and you should try to play it.

12. RUBBER BAND JUMPING You only need some rubber bands. Two kids stand opposite each other and extend the rubber band. One player jumps and stands on one side of the rubber band, carrying the two sides together. Then she jumps again and made the two sides separate. Then she jumps again into the middle of the rubber-band and after that she jumps outside of it. There are certain grades of the height of the rubber band. The first grade is the level of the ankles of two players, the second - the hamstrings, the third - the level of the knee, the fourth - at the butt, the fifth - the waist, the sixth - at the arms, the seventh - the neck, eighth - behind the ears, ninth - elastic is held over the forehead, tenth - the rubber band is high with hands stretched up.

13. HOPSCOTCH To play hopscotch, a court is first laid out on the ground. The first player tosses the marker (typically a stone, coin or bean bag) into the first square. The marker must land completely within the designated square and without touching a line or bouncing out. The player then hops through the course, skipping the square with the marker in it. Single squares must be hopped on one foot. For the first single square, either foot may be used. Side by side squares are straddled, with the left foot landing in the left square, and the right foot landing in the right square. The player must then turn around and return through the course. Then he must retrieve the marker and continue the course as stated without touching a line or stepping into a square with another player's marker. If while hopping through the court in either direction the player steps on a line, misses a square, or loses balance, the turn ends.

14. DRAUGHTS Draughts is a form of draughts board game and it is played by two players with pools, each of them has got nine pieces of a colour. Players have to put them on the board of special places marked with a circle. For a game of Draughts also known as Koram a playing field and nine pieces (white and black) are used. The pieces are off the boardat the beginning of the game. Players take turns placing a piece on the board until they put them. The goal of the game is to arrange three pieces vertically or horizontally which is called “Lady”. If you manage to do this you have the right to take away one of your opponent’s pieces. The player can move the pool on a free neighboring position and try to make “Lady”. The winner is the player who first manages to take seven of his opponent’s draughts.

15. GIANTS AND DWARVES This game is open to all children. They arrange in a circle, for example. A leader needs to be chosen. The leader stands inside the circle and gives his commands. When he says “Dwarves!” children have to squat and bent their heads down. When he says “Giants!” children have to stand up and raise their hands up

16. BALLS The players draw a circle on the ground. In turns they throw their balls trying to push the opponents’ balls out of the circle. According one of the versions children excavate a small hole inside the ring and try to bring their ball in it. Meanwhile they should eliminate competitors’ balls pushing them outside the ring. Having the desire to win players often use different tactics like throwing the ball to a secure or remote area.

17. Thank You!