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Indonesian Kids' Games

Indonesia has many children's games that are not focused on television or movies. Children play outdoors more than most American children and often play games with large groups of kids. Indonesian kids' games can all be played in the United States, but don't be surprised if the American children are stomped by the Indonesian players.

Kelereng
- Kelereng is the Indonesian version of the game of marbles. A circle is drawn onto the floor or ground and marbles are placed inside. Another marble is used to try and shoot the marbles inside the circle outside the circle. When all of the marbles have been knocked out of the circle then the person with the most marbles wins.
Gangsing
- Gangsing is very similar to the American game of top spinning. The gangsing top is made from bamboo with a dowel rod placed through the middle. A string is attached to the dowel and another piece of bamboo located outside of the top. The string is pulled quickly to make the top spin. Usually a circle is painted or drawn onto the ground and two gangsing owners compete to see which top will push the other outside of the ring boundary.
Lompat Tali
- Lompat tali is a game commonly played by girls. This game is similar to jump rope, but the rope is made from elastic threads rather than an actual rope. The rope is made into a large ring rather than a straight line. Girls jump over the rope which is gradually raised as the game goes on. Experienced Lompat tali players can sometimes even jump ropes that are held at neck height.
Bekel
- Bekel is similar to American jacks. The pieces are shaped differently, but the main concept is the same. The bekel pieces are dropped at the same time as a rubber ball and then the players have to pick up the bekel pieces one at a time before the ball bounces twice. Many variations are played in this game, depending on the skill level of the children.
Layang-layang
- Layang-layang is Indonesian kite flying. Almost every child has their own kite and competitions can get very bitter. Dog-fighting kites are popular in Indonesia. The string of these kites is coated in a layer of crushed glass, which will cut the string of opposing kites. The winner of the kite battle is the person who can cut the kite string of the opposing player first.
Semut, Orang, Gajah
- Semut, orang, gajah is the Indonesian version of rock, paper, scissors. Semut is an ant, orang is a person and gajah is an elephant. Ant beats elephant, man beats ant, and elephant beats man.

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