And we sowed millet: Russian folk games for children

Russian folk games help kids learn speed, dexterity, focus, and orientation in space while also introducing them to their culture.

Recall the texts and guidelines for children in preschool and primary school who play outdoor folk games.

Spider

The "spider" squats in the center of the circle formed by all the kids standing there. Tiny legs, red boots, spider, spider—children sing these words.

Stop and brandish their fingers like a "spider" while saying, "We watered and fed you."

They act as though they applied a "spider" to their feet: They stood up, compelled to dance.

"Spider" starts to move. Clap hands all around you, dance as much as you want, and choose who you want to dance with.

Bubble

Kids form a circle, hold hands, and spread out while uttering the phrases "gulp, bubble, BECAME BIG, BECOME, and don’t burst!" Then, as you approach one another, exclaim, "Fuck, bubble!"

Millet

Children take hands, forming two lines, go towards each other and sing: – And we sowed millet, sowed.
– And we will trample it, pass it.
– And what to trample it with, trample it?
– And we will release the horses, we will release them.
– And we will take the horses prisoner, we will take them prisoner.
– And we will ransom the horses, we will ransom them.
– And what can we ransom them, ransom them to you?
– And we will give you a hundred rubles, a hundred rubles.
– We don’t need thousands, thousands.
– And what do you need?
– And we need Alik, Alik
– And he is a fool, a fool.
– And we will teach him, we will teach him.
– And what can we teach him?
– And we will whip him with a whip.
– And he will cry, cry.
– And we will give him a gingerbread, gingerbread.
– Open the gates, accept the fool.

Poppy

One of the players, Ermak, is in the center of the circle where the kids are standing. All sing along: Golden heads, Poppies-poppies, Arrange yourselves in a row, as poppies are sown! Poppy seeds are sown in the garden in this manner and that, and this manner and that. Oh my goodness, are the poppies ripe! In the event that Ermak responds negatively, everything begins, and if he responds positively, he is asked, "How much?" He states the number one through ten. It is frequently thrown up.

Chains

Two teams of players are formed, and they stand opposite one another while holding hands. A team yells at the other, "Untangle us, chains are forged!" Which of us? – The previous round of the game is then repeated. It continues until every member of one of the teams is eliminated.

The players are divided into two teams. Each, holding hands, forms a chain. Both chains stand opposite each other at a distance. The players" task is to break the enemy chain.
In the middle of each chain is the team captain. The team that lined up first starts the game. The guys of this team shout in chorus: – Kalim-bamba!
The other team answers: – What servant?
First: – We fix the sleeves!
Second: – What sides?
First: – On the fifth and tenth, (name) to us here!
The one whose name is called runs to the challenge, trying to break the enemy chain. If he succeeds, he takes the player on the right by the hand and takes him prisoner (to his team). If he fails to break the chain, the player himself remains a prisoner of the other team.
The team that turns out to be stronger, more united and manages to capture more players from the enemy team wins.

At the bear"s in the forest

On the playground, two lines are drawn that are 6 to 8 meters apart. The driver, also known as the "bear," is seen behind one line, and the children’s "house" is seen behind the other. In order to gather berries and mushrooms, the kids leave the "house" and enter the "forest." They say, "At the bear’s in the forest pine forest, I pick mushrooms and berries," as they approach the den. However, the bear never sleeps because everyone is staring at us. In the final words, "Bear" leaps from "Berlogs" and tries to stop the kids from rushing into his home. The "bear" transforms into the player who was tagged by it.

Cabbage

A circle is drawn – "vegetable garden". Hats, belts, scarves, etc. are placed in the middle of the circle. This is the "cabbage". All the participants of the game stand behind the circle, and one of them is chosen as the host. He sits down next to the "cabbage". The "host" depicts with movements what he sings about:
I am sitting on a stone,
I am hammering chalk pegs.
I am hammering chalk pegs,
I am guarding my vegetable garden,
So that the cabbage is not stolen,
They do not run into the vegetable garden
The wolf and the fox, the beaver and the chicken,
The mustachioed hare, the bear clubfoot.
Players try to quickly run into the "garden", grab the "cabbage" and run away. Whoever the "owner" catches is eliminated from the game. The participant who takes away the most "cabbage" is declared the winner.
You can run only after the words "clubfoot bear".

Grandfather Rozhok

Children choose Grandfather by counting rhyme. By God"s dew,
By the priest"s strip
There are pine cones, nuts,
Honey, sugar,
Get out, Grandpa Rozhok!
The selected Grandpa player is assigned a "house". The other players move 15-20 steps away from the "house" – they have their own "house".
Children: Oh, you, Grandpa Rozhok,
You burned a hole in your shoulder!
Grandpa: Who"s afraid of me?
Children: Nobody!
Whoever he tagged, he catches the players along with him. As soon as the players run from house to house, the driver together with the assistant take their place, the game is resumed.
The game continues until there are three or four uncaught players left.

Frogs in the swamp

On both sides, outline the banks, in the middle – the swamp. On one of the banks there is a crane (behind the line). The frogs sit on the hummocks (circles at a distance of 50 cm) and say:
Here from a wet rotten tree Frogs jump into the water.
They started croaking from the water:
Kva-ke-ke, qua-ke-ke
It will rain on the river.
At the end of the words, the frogs jump from the hummock into the swamp. The crane catches the frogs that are on the hummock. The caught frog goes to the crane"s nest. After the crane has caught several frogs, a new crane is chosen from those that have never been caught. The game resumes.

Golden Gate

A pair of players stand facing each other and raise their hands up – this is the gate. The other players hold each other so that a chain is formed. All the children say: Oh, people, oh, people,
Our hands we woven.
We raised them higher,
It turned out beautiful!
It turned out not simple,
Golden gate!
The gate players say a rhyme, and the chain must quickly pass between them. The children – "gates" say: Golden Gate
They don"t always let you in.
The first time is forgiven,
The second time is forbidden.
And the third time
We won"t let you in!
With these words, the hands drop, the gates slam shut. Those who were caught become additional gates. The "gates" win if they managed to catch all the players.
The game continues until there are three or four uncaught players left, you need to lower your hands quickly but carefully.

Russian folk game "Bells"

Kids are arranged in a circle. One player emerges in the center, holding a small bell, while the other is blindfolded. The kids all say, "Bubentsy, Tryntsy-bryntsy," Daredevils, they have rung: Digi-digi-digi-don, Identify the source of the ringing! The player who is dodging is caught by the "blind man’s buff" after these words. Only begin catching after "Bell" is spoken. It is improper for the player being caught to run past the circle. Kids can dance in a circle after they form one.

22.09.22 Resources used: unn.ru and nsportal.ru

Children’s Russian folk games, such as "And we sowed millet," are easy, entertaining, and interactive exercises that have been handed down through the years. They foster children’s creativity, social skills, and physical coordination while making a fun connection to cultural customs. Through movement and music, these simple-to-learn games promote imagination and teamwork in kids of all ages.

Concerning young children aged one to three, concerning young children aged four to seven Additional pieces written by the writer

Video on the topic

And we sowed millet. 1h

"And we sowed millet "sowed, sowed" – spring song-game in Waldorf school

Folk game "And we sowed millet"

Russian folk game "And we sowed millet" MKDOU d / s No. 420 "Sibiryachok".

"And we sowed millet, sowed" – a number for a colorful production with children

Master class on round dance games "We sowed" – Nosko l.IN.

Folk games "And we sowed" and "wives". Performed by the OFT participants "Shipyski