New Zealand (Māori, Tūhoe iwi)
Upokotiti
Also known as Tarakoekoea, Hand Stacking
A fast-reaction circle game where players stack hands one on top of another while chanting, then quickly withdraw before being slapped.
4-10 playersAges 5-12In or outCalmSmall spaceNo kit
The rules
How to play
1
Players kneel in a circle.
2
One by one they slap their right hand on top of the growing pile of hands from the bottom up, then the bottom hand is pulled free and placed on top again, forming a constantly moving stack.
3
Players chant together to keep rhythm.
4
Anyone too slow or who claps out of turn gets a light slap on the wrist from the group.
5
The last player making clean contact with the rhythm wins.
Keep it fair
Keep the penalty light, just a gentle tap. Agree before playing that heavy slapping ends the game immediately.
Good for building
coordinationreaction speedrhythmtiming
What you need
Nothing at all, just the kids.
More to play
