This DIY kit was designed and prepared with our children in mind. With a long holiday still ahead and stuck at home, I can imagine how restless the children must be. Through this activity, I hope that more children can find joy by engaging in these traditional games that have plenty of benefits.

They'll not only learn HOW to play the game, but also CREATE their very own set of 5 stones. The video tutorials are easy to follow, presented in a style with young learners in mind.

Trivia
Batu Seremban is a game that is played with five stones. In the past, players used to substitute today’s pyramid-shaped cloth bags of sand or rice with actual stones or seeds. The game of five stones is believed to have originated in Ancient Asia, during the Siege of Troy in 1184 BC. Played sitting down, the game that involves a complete set of eight to ten steps, has been said to improve eye sight, memory, and concentration.

The game of five stones has seen players invent many different variations, each with varying difficulty. Interestingly, this game has also travelled to many different countries and assumed different names such as Jackstones, Chuckstones, Dibs, Dabs, Fivestones, Otadama, Tally and Knucklebones.

Backstory
My eldest girl fell in love with this traditional game since I introduced it to her a few months back. She struggled with it at first but took to it really quickly. And now she’s quite the expert, even beating me sometimes! 😄

She often laments that she can’t find anyone in school to play this game with her. Most of her friends would rather swipe TikTok and stuff. I guess it’s really become a lost art. So an idea came to mind - to try to bring back this traditional game this holiday. Since we are all stuck at home with nowhere to go! Why not pick up a new skill and have some fun while developing hand-eye coordination! And to level things up a bit, why not encourage your child to make his or her own set of 5 stones, as well as a simple matching drawstring bag to keep the stones in! This is a meaningful parent-child bonding opportunity!

So with this in mind, my girl and I have come together and prepared some DIY kits, together with videos (how to play and how to hand-sew) for you to get started! We hope to spread a little love and fun through this hands-on activity.

Recommended for kids age 9 and above!

What's included in the kit?

5 pieces of fabric for the stones
1 piece of fabric for the drawstring
green beans
basic sewing kit (needle, safety pin, 2 buttons, 6-colour threads)
1 extra spool of thread
pins
2 strips of ribbon
2 private links to the video tutorials

Benefits of PLAYING 5 stones:

🥁 improves dexterity and hand-eye coordination
🥁 develops patience and perseverance
🥁 promotes family bonding
🥁 reduces gadget time!!
🥁 play anywhere, anytime! No wifi connection needed. 😜

Benefits of MAKING your own 5 stones set:

🪡 improves fine motor skills
🪡 develops patience and perseverance
🪡 develops appreciation for handmade goods
🪡 develops ownership to your masterpiece

For those who have the materials on hand, but wish to purchase only the video tutorials and patterns, you may select the "Pattern (with video tutorials)" option in the drop-down list. You will receive a pdf download with links to the video tutorials. There are NO written instructions in this pattern.

Please note that the currency used in this website is in SGD. You may use the currency selector at the bottom of the page to convert pricing into USD.