No.342
Diketo: An Introduction
Japanese name: ディケト（入門）
Materials
- 5 smooth pebbles, only for children old enough to handle small parts safely
- 1 small, soft beanbag to toss
- A shallow hollow or a ring marking its area
How to play
- Sit facing each other with five pebbles in a shallow hollow. Explain that this introduction uses five stones and a soft beanbag instead of a tossing stone. Choose who starts.
- Toss the beanbag low with one hand. With that same hand, sweep the pebbles out of the hollow and catch the beanbag. Begin by aiming for one successful sweep-and-catch.
- On success, set one pebble beside you. Toss again, put the remaining four pebbles back into the hollow with that hand and catch the beanbag.
- Sweep all remaining stones out again, set one aside and return the rest. Repeat this out–keep one–return sequence. Dropping the beanbag or failing to return the required stones ends your turn.
- The opponent also starts with five stones. Setting all five aside first is a success. Change starting player next game; experienced players can increase to ten stones.
Ways to adapt
Do not use pebbles with preschool children. Younger primary: put the beanbag down before practising stone movements. Older primary: ten stones and continuous one-handed sequences.