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The Mid-Autumn Festival is the perfect time to organize traditional and entertaining games for children. Join Team PasGo to discover meaningful and exciting folk games to make this 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival a joyful experience for kids!
1. Lion Dance
The Lion Dance, also known as the Lion Dance, is a familiar game during the Mid-Autumn Festival. When the drum sounds, colorful lions will dance joyfully to liven up the atmosphere of the full moon night.
Lion Dance - Exciting Mid-Autumn Festival Game for Children
To help children perform beautiful and rhythmic lion dances, parents/teachers need to prepare the following items: a medium-sized drum, lion masks, Ong Dia (the Deity of Wealth), and Thanh Tai (the Deity of Fortune). Guide the children to take on the roles and run around to the beat of the drum to create the most lively atmosphere possible. Additionally, you can organize a competition between teams, where the team with the most beautiful dance, as voted by the audience, wins. This method will surely make the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere even more lively!
2. Lantern Parade
Lantern Parade is one of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival games closely associated with the childhood memories of children.
Not only traditional star lanterns, but nowadays, lanterns come in various shapes such as: star-shaped lanterns, lion head lanterns, fish-shaped lanterns, rabbit-shaped lanterns...with countless shapes and colors, making the Mid-Autumn Festival night more sparkling and lively.
Lantern Parade is one of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival games for children
3. Dragon Snake Climbing to the Clouds
Dragon Snake Climbing to the Clouds is a traditional folk game that many generations of children, especially preschoolers, love the most during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This is a team game, requiring about 5 - 6 children to play. One child plays the role of the 'boss', while the others grasp each other's shoulders or clothes to form a long line.
Dragon Snake Cloud Ascending is one of the favorite traditional Mid-Autumn Festival games for many preschool children.
The gameplay is as follows: The children walk and chant 'Dragon Snake Cloud Ascending. There's a swaying tree. There's a barracks. Is the boss at home?' If the boss answers 'no', they continue, but if the boss says 'yes', the child will ask: 'Which section, please?' The boss can say: 'Take the middle section or take the tail section?' Then the whole group runs while the boss stands up to tag the section they requested. If the boss catches that section, that person becomes the boss and the game starts again.
4. Tug of War
A folk game that cannot be missed on the 8th month's full moon day is the tug of war game.
The gameplay is as follows: Children will be divided into two teams with an equal number of members. Each side will hold one end of the rope. In the middle of the rope is a piece of red fabric placed at the balance line. When the whistle blows, both sides pull with force. Whichever side steps over the line or shifts the red fabric more towards them wins. The game not only requires strength but also teamwork and coordination among teammates.
The tug of war game helps children learn how to tighten the spirit of unity.
This is a game for Children's Day or not only helps children exercise but also helps them cultivate the spirit of unity, teamwork. So, why hesitate to organize tug of war games for children at the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival night?
5. Blindfolded Pot Hitting
Blindfolded pot hitting is a fun and exciting traditional game, often played during the Mid-Autumn Festival, enjoyed by both adults and children alike.
The gameplay is as follows: A parent will be blindfolded and carry their child. The child on the parent's back will give directions while the parent walks to hit a pot made of clay or possibly replaced with a stuffed animal. They hit until they hit it accurately, then they win.
Blindfolded pot hitting - an exciting Mid-Autumn Festival game for children
6. Cat and Mouse Game
This is a traditional game of the Vietnamese people during the Mid-Autumn Festival for preschool children. This fun game is a team game and suitable for children aged 4 and above. You can play this entertaining game with your child to fill the festive night with laughter.
The Cat and Mouse Game is one of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival games of the Vietnamese people
The gameplay is as follows: One child plays the role of the mouse, holding a cloth running outside the circle and dropping the cloth on any cat without letting the cat know. After dropping the cloth, if the cat still doesn't know, the mouse has the right to hit the cat's back or shoulders with the cloth. The cat, if hit, must stand up, run around to avoid the hit, then sit back in place to escape.
7. Potato Leaf Turnover Game
This is a quite popular folk game, with no limit on the number of players. Each player sits in a circle, placing 2 hands flat on the ground.
The gameplay is as follows: Each player sits in a circle, placing 2 hands flat on the ground.
During the game, one representative person starts by saying 'Potato Leaf Turnover' and covers their hands over everyone else's hands. At this point, the remaining players all turn their hands upwards simultaneously.
The representative sings while touching their hands to each player's hands one by one.
'Twelve dragonflies
One wearing white
One wearing black
One carrying a lantern
One holding a bamboo tube
Pushing in, pushing out
One falls into the well
One falls into the pigsty
Oh my, oh my!'
When the song ends with the words 'Oh my, oh my!', the representative places their hand onto a player's hand. The player whose hand is touched must either push in or suffer a penalty.
Mid-Autumn Festival game for children - Potato Leaf Turnover
8. Train Ride Game
The train ride game is a childhood favorite for many, creating a lively atmosphere, especially for preschool and elementary school children.
The gameplay is as follows: Players stand in a line. The person behind puts their hand on the shoulder of the person in front to form a train. The leader runs and shouts commands like 'Up the hill' or 'Down the hill'. When they hear 'Up the hill', everyone runs slowly, tiptoeing with the balls of their feet. When they hear 'Down the hill', everyone runs slowly on their heels. While running, everyone sings a nursery rhyme: 'Go to the bridge, go to the shop, Go to buy a little pig, Go to buy a pot, Bring it home to cook, Buy a watermelon, Give it to grandma and grandpa, Buy a flock of chickens, Bring them home to feed, Buy a comb to comb hair, Buy a headband, Go quickly, come quickly, Before it gets dark.'
Train ride game - Mid-Autumn Festival game for preschool children
*) Rules: The entire train runs following the orders of the locomotive while singing nursery rhymes. Anyone who sings softly or fails to perform the running motion correctly will be penalized by the entire train (the form of penalty varies depending on the train's choice).
9. Blow out the candle
The gameplay is as follows: All players stand in a circle, two people are chosen to stand in the center, each holding a lit candle. When the whistle blows, these two people must squat and hide their candle behind their backs while blowing out the other person's candle. The player whose candle is extinguished first loses. This game can be played in pairs, and then winners are selected for the final round.
10. How far is the road
This is not just a game to entertain children but also helps them develop their observation, estimation, and calculation skills. The game also demonstrates the spirit of unity and bonding among the little ones.
The gameplay is as follows: Organize it in the evening. The controller stands at a distance from the players along a predetermined path. The controller holds a flashlight, turning it on for a moment then off. The players estimate the distance from their position to the lit flashlight. The controller can turn the flashlight on multiple times, and players can make multiple estimations: noting how many meters on the first attempt, on the second attempt, and so on, recording it on a sheet to submit to the controller.
The player whose estimation is closest to the actual distance wins.
How far is the road is a Mid-Autumn Festival game loved by many children
The game can also be played during the day, with the controller using flags instead of flashlights.
11. How to organize Mid-Autumn Festival 2023 for kids
You can consider one of the following two methods:
Method 1:
- Start with an energetic lion dance performance.
- Organize outstanding cultural performances by children and parents.
- Break the traditional feast and parade the star lantern.
- Gift giving to children.
Method 2:
- Tell the legends of Cuoi and Chang'e, the Moon Goddess.
- Perform cultural shows.
- Play team-building games (select from the list of games below).
- Gift giving to children.
- Break the traditional feast and parade the star lantern.
Above are the Mid-Autumn Festival activities you can organize for children during the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival. Team PasGo wishes you a warm Mid-Autumn Festival with your family and enjoyable yet fresh Mid-Autumn Festival activities!
