Tic-tac-toe: children play

Boys and girls of different ages play in my yard, the oldest is 12, the youngest is 5,5. My daughter is 9 years old, she is friends with everyone. I suggested that she gather everyone to play the game «Tic-tac-toe». When everyone pulled themselves up with interest, I set the task:

• split into two equal teams
• determine the team of crosses and zeros (throw lots),
• to win on a lined playing field 9×9, fill in 4 horizontal or vertical lines (demonstrated).

The winning team received a package of Kit-kat chocolates.

Game conditions:

• teams to be behind the start line,
• each member of the team, in turn, puts a cross or a zero on the playing field
• Only one participant from each team can run to the playing field along a narrow path, you cannot step over the path!
• when participants collide or touch each other, both squat 3 times

Before the teams split up, she asked if everyone could play tic-tac-toe.

She showed 4 vertical lines and horizontal ones on the playing field.

I asked if they understood everything.

Surprisingly, the captain of one of the teams, Polina (a girl in a black and white blouse), as soon as the teams split up, immediately suggested that the captain of the second team, Lina (a tall girl in a blue T-shirt and black shorts), divide the field and fill in from above or below. She said not confidently and not specifically, Lina ignored the offer. And then the game began, and the two captains, having started the game, put a cross and a zero on the adjacent cells. Then several participants in a chaotic order began to put their crosses and zeros, until the boy of one of the teams — Andrey (red-haired and with glasses) shouted: “Who put the zero there, who did it! Stop the game! And Sonya (in a striped T-shirt) supported him, ran up and spread her arms, preventing the opponents from filling the playing field. I intervened by shouting “No one stops the game! Nobody crosses out!”. And the game continued. Players recklessly continued to fill the field with crosses and zeros in order, in increasing tension.

When the last zero was placed, I announced «Stop the game!» and invited the players to surround the playing field. The field was full of crosses and tac-toes. The children began the analysis on their own with the clarification of «Who is to blame!». After listening to them for exactly a minute, I intervened and asked them to name the conditions of the game. Polina began to formulate tightly, and little Ksyusha immediately blurted out that «if you collided, then you need to squat three times.» Another Polina said «you only need to walk along the path, and not from its side.» When I asked about the main thing, when they win, Anya and Andrey formulated “when we bet on four lines, four stripes”, Polina interrupted them with a reproachful intonation and said “But someone prevented us”. Then I asked, “What happened?”, The showdown began, “Who prevented!”.

Having stopped the disassembly and reproaches, I invited them to be happy for me, because I was going to go home with a bag of chocolates. Finally, she praised Polina for a reasonable offer to divide the playing field to fill with crosses and tac-toes, because then everyone would have enough space to win. Lina asked why she did not agree with Polina’s proposal, Lina shrugged her shoulders and gave out «I don’t know.» Andrey asked why, having noticed, at the beginning of the game, when Lina put a zero too quickly to the cross, he began to stop the game? Was there another solution? Andrey, with a hint, gave a decision that there was still enough space, it was possible to start filling from the top, and leave the bottom to the other team. She praised Andrey and offered to play again: having chosen other captains, mix the teams, set a time limit for the game of two and a half minutes. One more minute to prepare and discuss. The task and conditions remain the same.

And it started…. Discussion. In a minute, they managed to agree, and most importantly, show the very young participants where to put a cross or a zero.

The game began no less exciting than the first time. The teams competed… The pace of the game has become faster. At this competitive pace, two small participants began to fail. First one fell off one team, and then the other said she didn’t want to play anymore. The game ended with an imaginary victory for the team of zeros. I announced «Stop the game!» and invited the players to surround the playing field. On the playing field, one cross was missing for the overall victory. But even the imaginary winners had three cells without zeros. When I pointed this out to the children, no one began to argue. I declared a draw. Now they stood silently and waited for my comments.

I asked: “Is it possible to make everyone become winners?”. They perked up, but were still silent. I asked again: “Could it be possible to play in such a way that the last cross and zero on the playing field could be placed at the same time? Could you help the kids, suggest, take your time, play together? There was sadness in the eyes of some, and Andrei had the expression “Why was it possible?”. Can.

I handed out chocolates. Everyone got a kind word, chocolate and a wish. Someone to be bolder or faster, someone more clearly, someone more restrained, and someone more attentive.

Enjoyed the picture immensely as the children came together for the rest of the evening and played hide and seek together.