Handing a wooden mallet, basically a wooden hammer, to two and three year old children is a risk, but one worth taking.

Croquet is a game dating back to the 12th century. A player must use sight, sound, and touch to develop skills necessary to navigate the course. Why, then, would I introduce this game to toddlers and preschoolers? A few reasons, actually. I had recently been taught the game by five men and women who were residents at the adult living facility located on the same campus as the school where I worked as a teacher. These “grandmas and grandpas” visited our classrooms a couple of days a month to read stories or play with the children. Becoming close with ‘Grandpa John’, he invited me to join his band of ‘merry misfits’ (his description) on Sundays for  a cutthroat game of Croquet and dinner to follow. I accepted. On my first visit it was apparent that these seemingly ‘sweet’ grandmas and grandpas had just invited me because they needed comic relief. I continued to visit a few times each month and soon realized that I wasn’t getting any better and needed to practice. Not only that, but I actually enjoyed the game, as bad as I was.

One day, at work, while cleaning out the toy shed I discovered a brand new croquet set. Delight set in as I began modifying my lesson plans for the next month. No, I wouldn’t really get to practice by incorporating the game into outside time, but I’ve often found that teaching a skill and becoming more familiar with it has great advantages. The first day the game was set out was…horrifically hilarious. One child was playing ‘Whack-a-Mole’ in the sandbox, another was trying to ‘hammer’ the ball into the ground, and yet another was ‘helping’ me by gathering up all the wickets. My only goal the first day was to have the children practice hitting the ball with the mallet, aiming at the wicket. It was clear I had to start over. The second day and each day after got better and the children really enjoyed it.

The key to adding this game as an activity was not to teach the children to play Croquet, but to help them use their skills to learn how to use the materials. The children used problem solving skills, math skills, cognitive skills, physical skills, and social emotional skills. One boy, 2, tried over and over to swing the mallet between his legs, but he just kept hitting his face with the top of the handle. Finally, he turned sideways and made it work for him. By the end of two weeks there was a group of 4 and 5 year olds who actually set up the game according to the rules (smaller course) and played several days in a row. The two and three year olds were happy to be hitting the balls through the wickets and were taking turns like pros. One day I observed a few children take over the ‘block center’ and build their own Croquet game.

Eventually, I improved my skills to a ‘decent’ level, and watching the children play was pure joy, even when they made up their own games. Teaching children a new game or skill takes some time and patience. If your goal is to have them play with you and follow the rules, just know that there may need to be a grace period when learning and exploration can happen. If not, it may not be much fun for anyone.