Shchyol is a traditional Khanty game. It has many variations and is suitable for both children from the age of two and adults. The firstborn child was taught to play shchyol by the grandmother. They would then teach the game to their younger siblings.
The game requires wooden sticks with a length of 15–20 centimeters and a diameter of about 0.7 centimeters. A set may consist of 20–30 sticks.
Children often play the game of “swan”: one player lays out a swan figure using sticks, while the others have to memorize it and turn away. The first player then removes a stick from the bird’s wing, tail, neck, or body. The children need to look at the figure, determine which stick is missing, and name that part of the body.
Another variation of the shchyol game involves dexterity. A player puts all the sticks in their palm and tosses them up. While the sticks are in the air, the player must turn their hand over and catch the sticks with the back of the hand. After that, they toss the sticks and catch them with the palm. If a player catches an odd number of sticks, they take one stick and repeat the entire process. If the number is even, it is the next player’s turn. The game continues until the last stick is thrown and caught. The player with the most sticks wins.
The development of fine motor skills and manual dexterity is very important in traditional Khanty culture. They are essential to many trades and crafts. For girls, these include bead weaving, sewing, and dressing small hides. For boys — birch bark embossing, wood pattern carving, wood planing, and net weaving. The development of fine motor skills in children also helps them become smarter and enjoy learning.
Another function of shchyol is the development of math skills. By sorting sticks, children learn to understand odd and even numbers and determine quantity by eye. They also practice building a portable northern “chum” tent, made of long wooden poles and reindeer hides. Each player takes an equal number of sticks and lays them out one by one to “build” a tent. Whoever has the least sticks or no sticks at all loses.
