Folk Games – Ypsilanti District Library

Folk games, also known as classic or traditional games, are activities children teach each other and are passed down between generations.

Remember hearing Grandpa talk about tin can stilts or chasing a hoop with a stick when he was young? Or maybe your Mom played hopscotch or jump rope with her friends at recess back in elementary school? These are all examples of folk games!

One of the great things about folk games is that they are usually inexpensive to play because you don’t need very many materials or the materials can be “found” (like a stick or a ball or chalk). This makes it easy to play without much preparation, and without the need for a lot of equipment. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to find our collection of folk games, rules, and resources.