8 games played by sponsored children in Chile

By Shanxi Omoniyi, CFCA web editor and writer

If you sponsor a child, have you ever wondered what kinds of games sponsored children play?

Despite the challenges of poverty, kids in developing countries often find joy in playing with whatever they have available. Many of these games don’t require a lot of items, but they keep children entertained for hours!

On a recent mission awareness trip to Chile, sponsors got to observe – and participate in – games popular among sponsored children. I was honored to be part of the trip.

We hope you enjoy learning and watching these games as much as we enjoyed playing them!

1) Balloon game

Before the game begins, all participants have a balloon tied to one of their ankles.

As a contestant, your objective is to stamp on all the other players’ balloons while protecting your own. Speed and agility are definite advantages here!

2) Catch the tail (atrapar la cola) game

Here’s the best way I can describe this game, which makes for one of my all-time favorite videos.

Contestants form two teams. Each team then makes up a chain, linked by one player’s hands on the hip of the player in front.

The goal is to keep your chain from falling apart while trying to link up to the opposing chain, before it links up to you!

3) Ball catching, stacking game

Participants get a stack of plastic cups, along with a handful of golf-sized balls.

The objective of the game is to bounce and catch one ball in every cup. It starts off easy, but gets progressively harder as the cups stack up.

4) Spinning top (trompo) game

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get footage of this not working, which you’d think happens more often than when it works.

Instead of just a normal spinning top, participants wind the top around a string.

These aren’t just ordinary tops, either. They come in solid wood adorned with a metal tip.

With a quick jerk of the hand, contestants release the string in such a way as to release the top so that it spins and travels along the ground.

5) Game of eggs on spoons

You may have played a version of this. Contestants balance hard-boiled eggs on spoons while walking as fast as they can to the finish line!

6) Emboque game

The Spanish word for these contraptions is emboques.

The objective of this game is to toss the top end of your emboque (a small wooden stick) into the air, then catch it in a hole inside the bottom end of your emboque (a wooden bell shape).

Sounds complicated? It is!

7) Target practice

You don’t need a lot of tools to make children play for hours! We saw many kids wait to practice their aim with a ball and hit objects invitingly displayed on a table.

8) Traditional dancing

Of course, no stay in Chile would be complete without some traditional dancing. This isn’t quite a game, but it was too sweet not to include.

Thanks to all the fellow sponsors and brave adventurers featured in these videos!