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Traditional Spanish Street Games

According to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System at Alabama A&M University, modern technology has a negative effect on children's health. Motorized scooters have replaced bicycles and Internet gaming has replaced stick ball, and the lack of physical activity can be extremely detrimental. The university indicates that street games can help contribute to the physical health of children, and each culture has its own version. Introducing children to Spanish street games can help celebrate heritage and culture while getting them up and active.

Pies Quietos
- Pies quietos, or "stopped feet," requires a ball and five to six children to play. This can be played in larger groups, but may get a little out of hand with more than 10. One child is chosen to begin the game; he starts with the ball. The first child throws the ball high into the air, and calls the name of another player. The second player must catch the ball before it bounces on the ground. If he does, the process continues.
  
  When a player is not able to catch the ball before the bounce, he has to go and chase the ball, while all of the other players run away from him. As soon as he gets the ball, the chasing player yells, "Pies quietos!" and all of the other players must freeze where they stand. The player holding the ball can then take three steps or three jumps towards another player. He throws the ball towards the player.
  
  If he hits the other player with the ball, the child who was hit gets one penalty point. If the thrower misses, the thrower gets a penalty point. Either way, play begins again. Once a child gets three penalty points, he is out of the game; play continues until only one child remains as the winner.
  
  There is an alternative version of the game in which the first player who receives three penalty points has to do something embarrassing, like dance or sing, to show that he lost. In this version, after the embarrassing act the game starts over with no penalty points assigned.
Las Cuatro Esquinas
- Las cuatro esquinas is translated as "the four corners." This game involves five players, and a square playing field. If children cannot find a square to use, mark four corners of a square with sidewalk chalk. Each corner must be large enough for a child to stand in.
  
  One player is deemed "it" and he or she begins at the center of the square while the other four players each stand in one corner. When "it" claps his hands, the children have to change corners by racing around or through the square. "It" tries to steal a vacant square; if he can steal a square, the person left without a square is now "it."
Bomba
- Bomba, or "bomb," is similar to the game "hot potato" played in America. This game requires a ball, and the more players, the longer and trickier the game.
  
  The players form a circle with one player in the center. The person in the center closes his eyes and counts silently to himself while the other players pass the ball from one person to the next along the circle. When the person in the center reaches 20 he raises one arm; when he reaches 40 he raises the other. When he reaches 60, he shouts, "bomba." The person who is holding the ball sits down on the ground with his legs interrupting the circle.
  
  The game continues again, except now, in order to pass the ball to the next player, the child has to jump over the legs of the now-sitting player. This can get very tricky when two children are sitting next to each other, or when children have to jump over three or four others consecutively. The last person standing in the circle becomes the center player for the next round. A variation of this game dictates that the person who is holding the ball when "bomba" is yelled switches places with the player in the middle.

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