Do you have lots of marbles lying around the house and are looking for some more fun game ideas? Read on to find out what we propose.
Marbles are among the oldest children’s games in the world. The children of the ancient Egyptians played with them. The magical glass balls still fascinate our children. However, even the most beautiful and imaginative marble tracks become a bit boring and the marbles stand still instead of rolling happily. To get them moving again, we offer three games that can be played anywhere.
Get the marble rolling
All you need is a round cake grid and a single marble. The marble is placed on the outermost groove of the grid. The player grabs the grid with both hands and moves it carefully, making the marble move, circle by circle, towards the centre. He then retraces his steps in the opposite direction, outwards.
The game has a meditative component if played alone. If several cake grids are available, a competition can also be organised: who can get their marble to the centre first without dropping it along the way?
Skittles with marbles
You will need a clearly recognisable marble for the bowl and at least three more marbles for each player, as well as a piece of sticky tape. Draw a line on the floor with sticky tape. The youngest player rolls the ball from this line. In turn, each player rolls one of his marbles from the starting line, trying to get as close as possible to the ball. To achieve an accurate shot, it is best to hit the marble with the nail of the index finger. Of course, you are allowed to hit your opponents’ marbles away from the cup. The winner is whoever can get their ball closest to the ball cup at the end.
Break through the line
This game also requires a piece of sticky tape, one marble per player and five to ten more marbles to draw a line. The marbles are used to create a straight line on the floor. Keeping a distance between them, draw another parallel line on the floor with the sticky tape. The further away it is, the more difficult the game becomes. In turn, each player rolls his marble from the starting line, trying to hit the row of marbles. Marbles that are eliminated can be picked up by this player and become his property. The player who has collected the most marbles at the end of the game wins.
All these games are great fun, but they work best if played on a carpet.