Cool Game for Kids: Table-Top Curling

Some people consider curling Canada's other national sport, and with good reason: what other sport combines strategy, geometry, physics and brooms? On ice? This table-top version may not contain brooms or ice, but it's still really fun to play and a great way introduce your kids the basic ideas behind game.

The rules are obviously modified for our table-top version, but if you want to learn more about the real sport of curling, learn more from the Canadian Curling Association.

What you'll need:

• our curling sheet printable templates (you need two ends and one length)
• transparent contact paper (available at hardware, craft and mass retailers — check where drawer liners are sold)
• 16 dimes
• small dot stickers — two colours (available at office supply stores)

How to Make the Board:

1. Print out two colour copies of our curling ends template and one copy of the length template.
2. Cover your "ice" with contact paper. It's best to lay the contact paper on your working surface sticky side up and then place your rink pieces on top. 

3. Flip over your rink and cover the other side with contact paper as well. This creates a sort of laminated effect.
4. Trim the edges of your "ice".
5. Apply dot stickers to your dimes; eight should be one colour and eight should be another. These are your "stones".

How to Play (4 players):

1. Divide into two teams and decide who will go first (keep in mind that in curling, there is a disadvantage to going first). Assign each team a set of "stones".
2. Sit at a table with the "ice" between you. You want to sit across from your teammate. 
3. Whoever goes first flicks or slides their first "stone" down the "ice". The goal is to get your "stone" as close to the centre of the circle as possible. The centre of the circle is called the "button". 
4. The other team then flicks or slides their first "stone" towards the same "button". Game play rotates between the two players at the same end of the table until each player has flicked their eight "stones".
5. After all sixteen "stones" are "thrown", whichever colour stone is closest to the "button" scores one point for every stone closer to the button than the opposing teams' stones. Only stones within the "house" (the circles) can score points. 
6. Play now shifts to the players on the other side of the table, and continues the same as above.
7. Whichever team has the most points after 8 "ends" (or rounds) wins! 

Important Rules

• A player's hand cannot cross the "hog line" while they are flicking or sliding. For our purposes, the hog line is the edge of the curling endpaper, or the bottom of the CBC Kids logo.
• A stone must cross the hog line on the other end of the ice to be "in play". If it does not cross the hog line or if it goes out of bounds (off the "ice"), remove it from the game until the next round. 
• A stone sitting on the edge of the hog line or the borders of the ice surface, even just a bit, is considered out of bounds, and is removed from the game. 
• A stone can be knocked out of bounds by the other team's stone, or by your own team's stone.

You can also play with two people! Simply sit side by side, and take turns "throwing" your "stones" as outlined above.