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Discover what this means

Drie blikkies

First suggested by Scouts South Africa
Discover this traditional game from South Africa and work as a team to score the most points.

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You’ll need

  • Buckets
  • Something to mark lines (for example, chalk, masking tape, or rope)
  • Three clean, empty tin cans
  • A small ball that’s easy to clean

 Before you begin 

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help. 

Planning and setting up this activity

  • Split the playing area into four quarters using rope, chalk, or masking tape.
  • Clean the bucket and tin cans then place the bucket upside down on the cross in the middle of the four quarters and stack the tin cans on top.

Play the game 

  1. Everyone should sit in a circle.
  2. Explain that this is a game, called drie blikkies, which means 3 tin cans.It originates from South Africa.
  3. The aim of the game is knock over the three tins with the ball and re-stack them before you get caught out. There are two positions (bowlers and fielders) and four people can play at once.
  4. Everyone should line up.
  5. The first four players should each stand in their own quarter. They should decide which player will be the bowler – the other three are the fielders.

The fielders must stay in their quarter – they can only touch the ball when it’s in their quarter.

  1. The bowler should decide whether they’ll use an overarm or underarm throw. They should throw the ball and try to knock over the stack of cans. They can have up to three turns.

An underarm throw is more accurate but slower, which means the cans will be closer together but the ball may end up quite close to the cans too. An overarm is less accurate but faster, this means the ball may end up further way from the cans but the tins may spread further apart as well. Once the bowler’s chosen the throw they’ll use, they can’t change their mind halfway through their turn.

  1. Once the bowler has knocked over the cans they must collect them and stack them back up before being caught out by the other team.
  2. At the same time the fielders should watch the ball. Once the bowler’s knocked all three cans over, they should work as a team to pick up the ball and throwing or kick it at the bucket.
  3. The bowler wins if they stack up the cans first. The fielders win if they successfully throw or kick the ball at the bucket first.
  4. When the bowler has finished their turn, everyone should rotate positions. The person at the front of the line should move into the bowler position, the bowler should move into a fielder position, two fielders should move around, and the final fielder should go to the back of the line.
  5. Everyone should continue to rotate like this after every bowl until everyone has bowled once and fielded three times.

Black History Month takes place every October in the UK. It started in the United States in 1926. In the UK, Black History Month began in 1987 and is an important opportunity to celebrate and learn about Black history. During this month, schools and communities hold events, activities, and discussions to highlight important figures, such as activists, artists, and leaders. This month is a chance for everyone to appreciate the rich culture and history of Black communities and to understand the impact they have had on our society. However, it’s important to remember that Black history is a part of history that people can (and should) learn about all year round. 

This activity has been chosen as it's a game from South Africa, and celebrates black history and culture.

Reflection

Learning a new game from a different country is a great way to discover something different about a place. This game let you learn something new while being active and working as a team. Did the game remind anyone of a game they play in the UK? People could think about how it’s very similar to games such as rounders or cricket. The fielders had to work together to get the ball back to the middle to catch the bowler. What skills did people use to help achieve this? People could think about how they had to communicate and coordinate to get the ball in the right place. What worked best for different teams of fielders?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games

The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.

Use a larger ball to make it easier to knock over the cans.

  • People could work in pairs if it makes it easier for someone who finds any part of it tricky – one person could throw the ball and the other could stack the tins again.
  • If anyone finds the game too noisy you could try stacking something lighter, for example, plastic tubs.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers International Activity Badge

If someone’s played drie blikkies before, they could help organise the teams or show everyone how to play.