Each TOY or GAME has a STORY to share with kids.

Today, it’s the Game of TIC-TAC-TOE-s turn to tell its story (with a little help from Grandma Sharon)…

WHAT is the Game of Tic-Tac-Toe:  Tic-Tac-Toe is a game of strategy played by 2 players identified as marks X and O.  The “game board” is a 3 x 3 row grid, generally hand-drawn on paper, and each player tries to be the first to draw 3 marks horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

WHO invented Tic-Tac-T0e, and WHEN and WHERE:  No one person is credited with inventing Tic-Tac-Toe.

Instead, the idea of the game has been traced back to the Roman Empire, 1st century BC, in their game called Terni Lapilli.   Wow.  3 x 3 grids have been found on the surfaces of various things, but no X or O markings.  Historians believe that the Romans used pieces on top to mark their places.

Still other research dates a game similar to Tic-Tac-Toe back to Egypt in 1300 BC.  Double WOW.

HOW did the game Tic-Tac-Toe get its name:  Games similar to Tic-Tac-Toe have been played by kids for centuries, in every corner of the world.  Some of these games used piece markers that made repetitive tick, tack sounds when placed on a slate game grid.  Hence, tick-tack.  Now that’s an interesting name origin!

Grab some scraps of paper today, pencil in your 3 x 3 grids and get your kids and grandkids in on this 3,000 year old pass time.

Or find a Tic-Tac-Toe mini-sized game board like mine above ($1.00 at Toys “R” Us) and listen for the real tick-tack sounds.

It’s all about the strategy, the fun… and a little bit of learning, too.

Picture Roman gladiators playing their games of Tic-Tac-Toe before a competition as you’re playing with your kids!