Losing Your Marbles

Marbles is a great game year round, no matter the weather, as it can be played indoors or out.

Though there are many different games to play, the following is the simplest to explain to this age group.

Playing Surface

• If you are playing outside, draw a large circle on your driveway or on a paved area in a park. The circle can be anywhere from 2'-10' wide. Smaller circles are easier for younger children.
• If playing inside, you can use string or masking tape to make out your playing area. Or, draw the playing circle onto a board and place the board on the floor.
• Draw or tape a line at two opposite points along the circle. This is called the lag line.

Starting the Game

• To decide who goes first, all players must lag. To lag, players stand on one lag line and shoot their shooters towards the opposite line. The player who gets their shooter the closest goes first.
• To shoot, a player can toss the marble or "knuckle down". "Knuckling down" means placing a knuckle on the ground and using your thumb to flick the shooter from your index finger.
• Note: a shooter is usually a larger marble or one with a unique colour or pattern.

Playing the Game

• Players determine how many marbles to play for and each player contributes an equal number.
• These marbles are tossed towards the centre of the ring creating targets, called "mibs".
• Each player takes turns shooting at the mibs and trying to knock them out of the circle.
• To shoot - a player lines up anywhere along the edge of the playing circle and "knuckles down".
• If a player knocks a mib out of the circle and their shooter stays in, they shoot again from wherever the shooter stops.
• If a player knocks a mib out of the circle and their shooter also goes out, then their turn is over.
• Players keep any mibs they've knocked out of the circle and continue shooting until they've missed hitting a mib or their shooter lands outside the ring.
• At the end of the game, the person with the most mibs wins.
• If playing for fun, all mibs are returned to their rightful owners. If playing for "keepsies", players keep all the mibs they've knocked out of the circle.

By Rochelle Strauss