If you’re doing hands-on history and want to add ancient Greek games for kids, you’ll love this knucklebones game and the other games on my page Kids History Games Boosts Learning & Promotes Critical Thinking.
I am sharing with you how to make and play Knucklebones.
It’s one of the oldest discovered ancient games.
Knucklebones is an ancient Greek game typically played with 5 small objects.
They were initially made from the knuckles of sheep or goats.
It was also called Tali, 5 stones, Jacks, scatter jacks, dibs, jackstones, or astragalus.
It is a primitive form of the modern game of jacks that is played with little metal pieces and a rubber ball.
The game of Knucklebones is 2,000 years old.
How Knucklebones Was Invented
The official rules are not known as it is such an ancient game.
But several versions have been guessed at through paintings and sculptures.
We are making the version that is like the more modern jacks game.
According to Sophocles, the mythical figure Palamedes invented te game of Knucklebones.
And taught it to Greek soldiers during the Trojan War.
Here is an image of a sculpture depicting two Greek girls playing Knucklebones.
They look so much like two little modern girls playing on the sidewalk, don’t they?
Ancient Greek Games for Kids
Look at some other toys ancient Greek children played with or spent their day being entertained with. And learn the Greek name for them.
- Spinning Top-Stromvos
- Rattles- Platagi
- Animal Figurines- Athyrma
- Marbles- Spheria
- Piggyback game- Ephedrismos
- Ourania- Game with a ball
- Passe-boule- Similar to basketball
Here are some images of Ancient Greek Toys to get an idea of what they looked like.
Ancient Greece Game Knucklebones Rules
You can play this game with 1 to 4 players. Cast (or toss) the knucklebones the same way you would dice.
Toss one knucklebone up into the air and try to grab one off the ground. Catch the falling one before it hits the ground.
Repeat but grab 2, then 3, then 4 to complete a sequence.
The winner is the first person to complete all the required sequences.
You can also play by tossing up all into the air and trying to catch as many as you can on the back of the hand or in your palm.
If you are going to play this version make your knucklebones smaller so they are easier to catch and don’t hurt.
Yet another variation is to try to toss one up and grab as many as you can in your hand before it falls.
You will want to practice.
Don’t scatter them to much or throw them too high. This will give you more control over catching them or grabbing them up.
Also, a completely different take on knucklebones assigns a points system to each side of the die.
And the winner is the one with the highest point value after tossing the knucklebones and counting up where they land. This is where the numbers or symbols you added come into the game.
Encourage your children to make up their own game with the Knucklebones. See what their imagination comes up with.
Next, look how to make your own DIY Knucklebones.
How to Make DIY Knucklebones Game
I found this terra cotta air dry clay at dollar tree and thought it looked pretty ancient so it was perfect.
You will need:
Then, create a rustic dice shape by first rolling 4 to 5 similar sized balls of clay out.
Next, pinch to create a bowed shape on the top and bottom of one face. But don’t invert too much if you plan on writing/drawing on them.
Rotate and repeat this step all the way around, this will give us a basic shape similar to real knucklebones.
Allow the clay to dry completely. This is what your final shape should look like.
Decorate your sides with numbers or symbols if you like using a small paintbrush and paint or a paint pen.
We researched ancient Greek numbers and used those. This will give your child some math practice too. You could also make up your own symbols for your family if you want.
Make a key like I did here to keep track of what each Greek number represents.
What do you think? What other Ancient Greek games for kids will you add to your Ancient Greece Unit study?
Other History Games for Kids
- 7 Super Fun History Games to Bring the Past to Life
- 13 Free and Fun BEST Printable History Board Game
- Unit Study:French Revolution + Free {Storming the Bastille} Game
- Fun Egypt Game
- Free Ancient Egypt Mehen Printable Board Game (Hands-on History)
And finally, here are some other Ancient Greece activities.
