June 1st is the International Children’s Day. 六一儿童节快乐！liù yī ér tóng jié kuài lè ！
It is a special day filled with joy and adored by children everywhere. Although we all eventually grow up, our cherished childhood memories remain close to our hearts and can be treasured by adults as well. Do you still remember those precious moments from your youth? Do you play these games with your kids?
1. 童年游戏 tóng nián yóu xì：Childhood games
(1) 123木头人 123 mù tou rén (123 Wooden Man)
One, two, three wooden man, is one of the well-known children’s games in China, which are still played by people, even by adults.
The rules are simple：one child is chosen to be the spot person and stands at a distance from the other players, who are lined up facing the spot person. He/she calls out “一，二，三（yī èr sān）” and the players move towards them, but then at some point, the spot person calls out “木头人（mù tou rén）” and the players must freeze. Any players who are caught moving after the “木头人（mù tou rén）” call have to back to Start Point. The game continues until a player reaches the spot person or until there is only one player left.
(2) 老鹰捉小鸡 lǎo yīng zhuō xiǎo jī (The Eagle Catches the Chickens)
The game requires at least three people, one as the hen, one as the eagle, and the rest as the chicks. The eagle (the catcher) 老鹰 lǎo yīng stands opposite the hen and circles to try to catch the chicks, while the chicks hid behind the hen. The hen (the protector) 鸡妈妈 jī mā mā will spread his/her arm and move around to avoid the eagle’s attack. Chicks 小鸡xiǎo jī will move with the hen and run away from the eagle. The game ends when the eagle catches all the chicks or when the eagle is worn out. The last chick caught becomes the eagle in the next round.
(3) 丢手绢 diū shǒu juàn (Throw a Handkerchief)
The children squatted down in a circle, one of the children A stood up, holding a handkerchief, and began to walk behind the children around the outer circle. Children in a circle began to sing:
丢，丢，丢手绢,
diū ， diū ， diū shǒu juàn,
轻轻地放在小朋友的后面,
qīng qīng de fàng zài xiǎo péng yǒu de hòu miàn,
大家不要告诉ta，
dà jiā bù yào gào sù tā ，
快点快点抓住ta,
kuài diǎn kuài diǎn zhuā zhù tā,
快点快点抓住ta。
kuài diǎn kuài diǎn zhuā zhù tā.
This song means: “Throw, throw, throw handkerchief, gently put behind the child and we don’t tell him”.
Before the end of the song, child A drops the handkerchief behind one of the players, that player must quickly pick up the handkerchief and chase Child A around the circle and try to catch him/her before Child A reaches an empty spot. If the child reaches the empty space before they are caught, then the player who picked up the handkerchief becomes the new child A for the next round.
(4) 跳皮筋 tiào pí jīn（Rubber Band Skipping）
The rubber band is an elastic rope made of rubber, about 3 meters long. Two players hold a long rubber band around their ankles, with their feet shoulder-width apart. Alternatively, the rubber band can be tied around two chairs or other sturdy objects. Three to five people play together, and then they can also be divided into two groups of competition. Dancing while singing is very interesting. Firstly, two people take one end of the rubber band extension, others take turns to jump.
2. 童谣 tóng yáo (Children’s Folk Rhymes)
（1） 小白兔 xiǎo bái tù （Little white bunny）
This song is probably the first song that most Chinese children learn to sing. The lyrics are about a cute white rabbit who likes to eat vegetables. Naturally， parents like to use this song as a motivation and a good example to encourage children to eat vegetables. Now, let’s learn to sing.
小白兔,
xiǎo bái tù,
白又白，
bái yòu bái,
两只耳朵竖起来，
liǎng zhī ěr duǒ shù qǐ lái，
爱吃萝卜爱吃菜，
ài chī luó bo ài chī cài，
蹦蹦跳跳真可爱。
bèng bèng tiào tiào zhēn kě ài。
Do you know the meaning of this song? If not, please leave us a message and we are happy to share it with you.
（2）小星星 xiǎo xīng xīng (Little Star)
Rhymes：一闪一闪亮晶晶，满天都是小星星。yī shǎn yī shǎn liàng jīng jīng ， mǎn tiān dōu shì xiǎo xīng xīng (Twinkle twinkle little star how I wonder what you are)
Because of its sweet tune and catchy rhythm. This song is also widely popular in China.
Are you humming the song now? Now, try the ABC song. Do you hear the resembles?
What childhood games do you love to play? What songs do you sing all day? Please leave us a message and brush up on your sweet sweet childhood memories.
