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The freedom to play and explore the world is one of the greatest joys of childhood. If you wish your kids would spend more time outside, away from harmful screens and social media, how about teaching them Serbian games for kids?
Each item on our list will encourage your little ones to get plenty of fresh air and exercise. Plus, they’ll allow your kids (and you) to pick up Serbian phrases with little effort.
Ready to unleash the fun? Let’s go!
Today, children spend countless hours glued to screens, playing video games, and scrolling through social media. But, even if you’d like nothing better than to take away your kids’ phones, such methods rarely bear fruit.
So, instead, you could nudge their interests towards something healthier, like the Serbian children’s games that are played outdoors with friends.
As such, these activities will help your little ones develop fine motor skills and, at the same time, hone their social and emotional intelligence. On top of that, playing these games is a perfect way to learn Serbian without a teacher — through complete immersion.
So, here are our top recommendations.
Elastic bands aren’t just for clothes! In fact, Serbian kids have found a much more exciting use for these items. Yup, playing the good old lastiš (elastic band) is one of the top pastimes for Balkan children, particularly girls.
Two or more kids stand apart, stretching an elastic band between them. Depending on the number of participants, the band can take the shape of a triangle, rectangle, square, etc. Then, the children take turns jumping over the sides of the band with rhythmic movements.
After each round, the children move the elastic band up a notch, stepping up the difficulty. Gradually, one by one, players drop out, and the kid who nails the toughest round wins the game.
Although the name of this game may sound odd in translation — frozen uncle — it’s a simple and exciting game. And the best part? It’ll keep your kids on their toes and entertained for hours, letting them burn off some of their endless energy.
In short, the child who gets the role of the frozen uncle (ledeni čika) chases the other kids. Specifically, the goal is to touch each player and shout zaleđen or zaleđena (frozen). By doing so, they’ll freeze participants one by one.
To make it harder for the uncle, the kids who have not been caught yet can unfreeze their fellow runners either by touching them or by crawling between their legs, depending on the pre-agreed rules.
Drvena Marija (wooden Maria) is another activity that’ll stimulate your kids’ minds and hone their reflexes. For reference, it’s similar to children’s games from other countries, like red light, green light, or statues.
The rules are simple; one player — drvena Marija — stands at the top of the playing field, facing away from the rest of the kids. The others start moving from the opposite side of the field, aiming to get closer and tag the player at the front.
But, when he or she looks back and shouts drvena Marija, je’n, dva, tri (wooden Maria, one, two, three), everyone must freeze at once. Even the slightest movement will result in elimination. At last, the winner is the first person to reach and tag the wooden Maria.
Although this odd-sounding game often leaves Serbian kids covered in bruises, they absolutely love playing it.
And since this one works best when there’s a big group of children to play it, birthday parties or similar gatherings are ideal occasions.
To start off, the players split into two groups, each forming a line by joining hands. That way, they create two opposing battle fronts.
Then, someone from the first group shouts, Aračkinje baračkinje, koga ćete? (Who do you want?), and the other group must pick a name.
Once chosen, the selected player charges at the opponents and tries to break through their front (causing them to release hands). If successful, that kid can take one opponent back to their own group, gradually increasing their numbers.
If unsuccessful, though, he or she stays and joins the rival group. From there, it’s all rinse and repeat until one group is left with only one player.
Care, care, gospodare (literally: emperor, emperor, our lord) is perfect if you’d like your kids to learn the numbers and names of animals in Serbian through movement and laughter.
The kid who gets the role of the emperor faces away from the other players. Then, others ask: Care care gospodare, koliko je sati? (Emperor, emperor, our lord, what time is it?)
This question is the cue for the emperor to tell them what kinds of steps to take. For example:
While the combinations of numbers and animals are limitless, the emperor’s goal is to keep all other players at bay. The first player to approach and touch the emperor takes over their role and gets to call all the shots.
Šarena jaja (colorful eggs) involves three roles: the devil (đavo), the seller (prodavac), and the eggs (jaja). While it’s all about the thrill of a chase, your kids will also get to learn the colors in Serbian.
From the get-go, the seller assigns colors to eggs (other players) while keeping it hush-hush so that the devil can’t hear it. Then, there’s a little talk:
Devil: Kuc, kuc. (Knock, knock.)
Seller: Ko je? (Who is it?)
Devil: Đavo s neba. (The devil from the heaven.)
Seller: Šta ti treba? (What do you need?)
Devil: Jedno jaje. (An egg.)
Seller: Koje boje? (What color?)
Devil: Zelene! (Green.)
Suddenly, the green egg starts running, and the devil tries to catch it while others are cheering and laughing.
However, if there are no green eggs, the devil continues naming colors until they get the right one. Of course, coming up with highly specific hues, like mustard-yellow or sky-blue, ups the challenge quite a bit.
Despite the odd name, ćorava baka (blind grandma) is one of the most thrilling Serbian games for kids. Unlike most others, this one can be played indoors (provided there’s enough space), making it a perfect rainy-day activity.
The participants put a makeshift blindfold on one kid (the grandma) and gently swirl the grandma around, chanting:
Vodim baku na pazar, (I’m taking grandma to a market)
da je prodam za dinar, (to sell her for a coin)
idi bako kuda znaš, (grandma, go wherever you like)
meni više ne trebaš! (I don’t need you anymore!)
While the grandma tries to regain their balance and direction, the other players look for a place to hide. Then, the grandma has to locate them with the eye cover still on.
When the blindfolded kid finds someone, they also need to identify them by touching their face. Once they do, the caught person becomes the grandma and a new round begins.
The following games require no explanation since they are well-known worldwide. Still, they are worth mentioning.
As exciting as they are, these Serbian games for kids are indeed for kids. If your little one is not so little anymore, they’ll probably give you a colossal eye-roll when told to go outside for a round of hide-and-seek.
So, for all parents raising children in Serbia, there’s an activity that’s suitable for all ages — traveling. Conveniently, we’ve already compiled a list of spots perfect for families with kids. Check it out here.
Did all this make you want to revisit your early years? If so, you can rekindle childhood memories by watching your little ones do what they do best — play. Just teach them these Serbian games for kids, or enjoy playing together. After all, there’s no age limit on fun.
On a related note, at Go Speak Serbian, we believe that learning and fun should go hand in hand. That’s why we plan plenty of games and entertaining activities for our students. If you, too, like the idea of stress-free study sessions with lots of laughs, sign up for our group classes and start learning the fun way!
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