Tug of war Activity
Tug of war is a great game for when families get together. There are no limits on how many can play and everyone can join in. Tug of war, or Tosogā maea in Samoan, is a popular game in many early childhood services in New Zealand.
Why do it?
- Fun for the whole family.
- Develops muscle strength and supports physical wellbeing.
- Builds family or group ties as everyone works together to win.
- Values and draws on the strengths of all team members.
- Creates a growing sense of confidence and competence.
How to do it
- Use a thick, long piece of rope and tie some tape or a strip of fabric to the middle of the rope.
- Find a suitable place outside on grass or a soft surface and make a mark on the ground in the middle of the area.
- Sort everyone into two teams with the smallest tamariki at the front through to the largest in the whānau to be the anchor at the back.
- Each team picks up an end of the rope.
- Make sure the middle of the rope is centred over the mark on the ground.
- Those not joining in are needed for the referees. They stand in the middle and give the signal to start.
- Each team of players begin pulling backwards as hard as they can.
- The teams continue pulling until the first person in either team is pulled over the centre line on the ground, or the referees make a decision on the winner.
Using more Gagana Sāmoa
| SAMOAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Fiafia fa’atasi le aiga | Fun together as a family |
| Toso | pull |
| Maea | rope |
| Toso le maea | pull the rope |
| Toso i tua | pull backwards |
| Piki i luga le maea | pick up the rope |
| Galulue fa’atasi | work together |
| Lua au mo le ta’aloga | two teams for the game |
| Fiafia fa’atasi | have fun together |
