No.326
E-Tak: Scoop without Disturbing the Others
Japanese name: イータック（ふれずにすくおう）
Materials
- 12 lightweight fabric balls, at least 4 cm in diameter
- 1 cardboard scoop per person, wide enough to hold a ball
- A 60 cm square boundary
- Plates for collected balls
How to play
- Bend the card edge slightly to make a shallow scoop. Scatter twelve fabric balls gently within the square, returning any that fall outside. Choose the turn order.
- The first player chooses a ball and uses only the scoop to lift it onto their plate. Do not steady it or the surrounding balls with your free hand.
- If neither scoop nor carried ball touches another ball, continue with another. Keep successfully collected balls on your plate, worth one point each.
- Touching another ball or dropping the carried ball ends the turn. Return that ball to the square. The next player gently scatters the remaining balls again before starting.
- Once all balls are collected, compare counts to end the round. If too difficult, space balls farther apart. Change the first player and reset the same number for another round.
Ways to adapt
Preschool: balls well apart. Younger primary: shallow scoops. Older primary: crowded arrangements.