So what exactly is spoon racing? As you have probably guessed already, spoon racing involves a spoon. There are several different variations, however for starters let’s look at what is probably the most common version to play. Once you have gotten the hang of it you can start playing with different rules and ideas to make the game more fun for you and your family. That is one of the great things about classic games: they are easily customizable.
The most common form of spoon racing involves all of the racers getting a spoon. They have to hold it very carefully, because an egg is going to be placed into the spoon. When you receive your egg you are going to be standing on the starting line but facing backwards. The reason you are facing backwards is because this is a race that is run in reverse.
One person in the party is going to be the officiator. They are the person that hands out the eggs. When everyone has gotten their egg and is ready to start, the person officiating will shout, “Go!” Everyone then starts walking backwards as quickly as they can (remember this is a race!). However you are going to have to go carefully because if you drop your egg it will fall to the ground and you are going to be out of the race.
You will walk backwards until you hit a second line. This line can be spaced however you like, it should be far enough back to prove somewhat of a challenge but, especially for beginners, shouldn’t be too far back. When the racer hits this line don’t think that the spoon racing game is over, though, because they have to go back! They turn around and then they head back to the starting line.
The first person to make it back to the starting line with their egg intact is declared the winner. Now doesn’t that sound like a whole lot of fun?
Now there are variations of spoon racing. Some people, for example, prefer to use other objects besides eggs (since eggs can be a little bit messy). You could use rocks or little balls; whatever will fit easily into the spoon. Of course the same rules apply: if whatever you are holding in your spoon drops to the ground you are out of the race!
You can also have team versions of the event, turning spoon racing into a sort of relay race. For example when they reach the second line, instead of just turning around and heading back to the start line they could have to pass off their egg or other object to another player who will then finish out the race. This is one great way to add another level of excitement to the game.
If you want a somewhat easier version of the race you could have the people race forwards instead of running backwards. Balance is still key here but this is especially good for younger kids or for beginners to the world of spoon racing. As you get a little more comfortable with the idea you can move onto the more advanced backward racing of the traditional game.