Printable Hawaiian jacks game
Kimokimo, the Hawaiian jacks game you can play today
You want your kids to know a real Hawaiian game, not a craft with a flower on it. This is kimokimo, ready to play. Find a stone and a handful of pebbles, and sit down on the floor together.
Printable PDF. Delivered to your email. Materials not included.
Sound familiar?
You want a real Hawaiian game.
Finding one shouldn't take your week.
The rules are buried in old books. It's hard to tell which "Hawaiian activities" online are real. And you don't want to sit down with your kids and teach them something wrong.
The fix
Kimokimo, ready to play
Open it with your child, and you're not researching or guessing. You're playing.
You can play today. All you need is a stone and about 10 pebbles per player. No pebbles? Dried beans or large buttons from the kitchen work too.
You'll say the words right. All five Hawaiian words come with how to say them, before you need them.
One page runs the whole game. Print it, or keep it on your screen.
It grows with your child. Easier and harder ways to play, plus how to play with three or four people.
And your kids get the story too: where kimokimo comes from, and a Hawaiian legend about the game.
Two ways to play
Pick the one that fits your day
Ready to Play · $5
For tonight, on the living room floor
Open it with your child and be playing in minutes. No prep, no research.
Four printable pages. Ages 5 and up.
A say-it guide for five Hawaiian words, so you say them right.
Easier and harder ways to play, and how to play with three or four people.
The story of kimokimo and a legend about the game.
Kimokimo: Hawaiian Jacks · $14.95
For a class, a co-op or a group
Lead it with confidence. A run sheet tells you what to say, show and do, start to finish.
Twenty-three printable pages. Ages 5 and up. Everyone gathers their own stones and takes them home.
Six short history cards, with the sources listed on the last page, so you can answer "how do you know?"
Practice in pairs, then two group games and an eight-player tournament that crowns a Kimokimo Champion.
A troubleshooting page, plus Words to Know and Pass It On handouts.
Not sure? Playing at home with your own kids: Ready to Play. A class, a co-op or a group: Kimokimo: Hawaiian Jacks.
What you'll need
You gather the stones. The download covers the rest.
Both are digital downloads. Nothing ships.
A kimo for each player: a smooth stone that fits in your hand, a little bigger than the pebbles.
About 10 ʻai for each player: small, smooth pebbles.
No pebbles? Dried beans or large buttons work, with a bigger bean for the kimo.
Any flat floor to sit on. A printer is optional: the Play page also works on a screen.
Smooth stones only, and gather them only where taking them is allowed. Pebbles stay out of mouths and away from small children.
The game
About kimokimo, the Hawaiian jacks game
What is kimokimo?
Kimokimo (also called kimo) is a traditional Hawaiian stone-toss game, a form of jacks, played with a stone and small pebbles. Andrews defines kimokimo as "to seize something while in motion."
What the words mean
The stone in the player's hand is the kimo. The small pebbles picked up from the ground are the ʻai, which means "food."
A game with a past
Mary Kawena Pukui wrote that she saw it played by her own kinsfolk as a child. Culin recorded that it was almost identical with the game of jackstones played by the children of North America. David Malo listed it among the games played during the Makahiki season. In a Hawaiian legend, two players were so lost in a game of kimo that Pele turned them to stone.
Where this comes from
This page and both downloads are based on Dr. S. Wilfred Navalta's 1978 doctoral dissertation, The Sports and Games of the Makahiki Festival: A History and a Unit of Instruction. It draws on Mary Kawena Pukui, Culin, Andrews, David Malo and Pukui and Elbert. Some details have been adapted for modern play at home. Used with permission.
Keep reading
Questions
Good to know
What ages is it for?
Ages 5 and up.
How many can play?
Two or more players. Ready to Play also shows how to play with three or four people.
Do I need to know the game first?
No. Ready to Play puts what you need on one page. Kimokimo: Hawaiian Jacks has a run sheet that tells you what to say next.
Is anything shipped?
No. Both are PDF downloads. You print the pages and gather the stones.
Is it like jacks?
Yes. Culin recorded that it was almost identical with the game of jackstones played by the children of North America. A store-bought jacks set works as a stand-in, with the ball as the kimo and the jacks as the ʻai.
Can I use it in a class or group?
Yes. Kimokimo: Hawaiian Jacks is written for families, homeschools, classrooms, Hawaiian studies programs, and youth and community groups.
Find a stone. Sit down together.
A real Hawaiian game. A few minutes to open. Nothing to research.