Nine Stones is a playful, team-based game where students use imagination, problem-solving, and exploration while competing. The attacking team tries to knock down and rebuild the “castle,” while the defending team chases them and attempts to tag them with the ball. The game encourages creativity in finding new strategies and fosters curiosity and openness as children experiment with different ways of cooperating, moving, and achieving their goals.

Success in the game is not determined solely by speed or individual skill. Participants must constantly adapt to the changing game situation, coordinate their own actions with their teammates’ decisions, and weigh their possible courses of action within a short time frame. Developing a shared strategy, flexibly assigning roles, and anticipating the opponent’s likely moves all determine the game’s success. From an educational perspective, Nine Stones creates a complex learning situation in which critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration reinforce one another. Students do not apply predetermined solutions; instead, they continuously assess evolving situations, develop new strategies, and modify their previous ideas based on their experiences. The game thus provides an opportunity for decision-making, foresight, and collaborative problem-solving to be naturally integrated into the learning process.

Skill focus

Primary Skill Focus

• Critical thinking

Complementary/Secondary Skill Focus

• Problem-solving
• Creativity
• Curiosity, sense of wonder, and openness

Age group	Student number	Duration
9-10 years old	whole class working in small groups (min. 6 players, ideally 8-12 players)	20-30 minutes