Ready, Steady, GO!: Racing Poohsticks with Kids

Experience life in the Hundred Acre Woods!

Poohsticks, a game invented by Winnie the Pooh, is a perfect game to play with toddlers and preschoolers.

  1. Find a bridge spanning flowing water.
  2. Each person chooses a stick that they can recognize again.
  3. All players stand on the upstream side of the bridge.
  4. Hold out the sticks and let them drop into the water from the same height at the same time. Throwing the sticks is strongly discouraged.
  5. Race to the other side of the bridge to watch for the sticks to appear as they float downstream. The player whose stick is the first to appear is the winner.

Be prepared to play multiple times!

For more details, watch this movie clip, opens a new window showing how Winnie the Pooh invented the game.

Then explore the books—the original, the Disney version, the "true story" and easy reader. They're all available at Arapahoe Libraries!

And if you really catch the Poohsticks spirit, check out this adorable guide to the best bridges for playing poohsticks, opens a new window in England. You could also draw one up for Colorado!