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Ideas for Easy Native American Games

Native American games teach survival skills as well as posing mental and physical challenges. When teaching your students or children about Native Americans, plan a few games for them to play. Awarding game winners with Native American-themed prizes, such as toy tepees, dream catchers and leather necklaces, will encourage them to play along. With a few supplies and a creative imagination, you have all you need to plan Native American games.

Hoop Stick Games
- Try a Native American game of hoop stick. Take a 12-inch wood dowel and tie a piece of 18-inch yarn to the end of it. On the other end of the yarn, tie a hoop of 2- to 3-inches in diameter. The player must hold the end of the wooden dowel and try to flick the hoop onto the end of the wooden dowel. To make the game easier tape the hoop with masking tape or duct tape. This makes the hoop heavier and easier to flick onto the end of the dowel.
Pebble Pattern Games
- Use pebbles from your local craft or retail store to make a Native American game. Make a pattern on a table using the pebbles. Have one player come up and look at the pattern for 30 seconds. Mix up the pebbles and give him 30 seconds to recreate the pattern. If he gets the pattern correct, he earns a point. The first player to score five points wins the game. For another pebble game, divide the players into teams with two or three players on each team. Show each team a pattern. The teams have one minute to reconstruct the same pattern. If they are correct, they earn a point. The team with five points first wins the game.
Dreams and Wishes Contest
- Dreams and wishes are important to Native Americans. Give the players construction paper, paint, markers, crayons, feathers, beads and glitter pens. They must draw a picture of a dream using the materials provided. Give them 30 minutes to decorate their dream project. Award prizes to the best, most creative and most realistic dreams. For another contest, do the same except have the children design a magical wish or something they wish to happen.
Guessing Games
- Have the children sit in a circle and give one child two different-colored, small clay stones. He must place the stones in one of his hands with a closed fist. He will then pass one stone to player sitting next to him without the player watching him. The player must guess which color stone the player passed to him. If he guesses correctly, he earns a point. Each player does this to the player next to him and the first player to earn three points wins the game. For another guessing game, place a stone on a table. Turn a plastic cup over the stone and place two more upside down cups on the table. Move the cups around and have the children guess which cup has the stone under it.

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