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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - It might never be too late to teach an old dog new tricks, but when it comes to handgames, the younger the participants, the better.

Bernice Gargan, the language instructor at Bompas elementary school, has been putting this theory to practice.

Michael Neyelle, right, checks which hand kindergarten student Fayth Sibbeston is holding her token in, while Grace Day and Abigail Pascua-Matte watch during a handgames lesson. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

For the past month Gargan has been teaching students in Fort Simpson traditional Dene games during Slavey class.

Every class had a chance to try stick pull, finger pull, snow snake and pole push.

The final activity was handgames.

Teaching students handgames is very important because it ensures the tradition of the games keep going, Gargan said.

Learning young also has other benefits.

"They learn faster when they're younger," said Gargan.

Michael Neyelle and Lucas Cli, who taught the handgames' classes, also agreed.

"It's better teaching them while they're younger," said Neyelle.

Although it takes more than one lesson for students to remember the basics of handgames it's definitely a good idea for students to learn it while they're in school, Neyelle said.

"They'll get better as they get older," said Cli.

If students learn handgames early on they might play in tournaments when they get older, Cli said.

Following the younger is better theory, even the kindergarten class was included in the handgames lessons.

Thirteen students sat in two lines on Nov. 28 as Neyelle explained the bare basics of handgames.

The students learned the calls for right and left before each receiving a bead to play with.

The teams were told they needed to get all the sticks to win and the game began.

Even at their young age it didn't take long for the kindergarten students to realize that they could keep playing if the captain on the other team picked the wrong hand.

Big smiles lit up their faces when they opened their hands to show they were empty.

Neyelle and Cli, however, had to be extra vigilant in making sure the bead was in their other hand.

As the class drew on beads wound up in unusual places including socks and shoes instead of hands.

While the kindergarten students got the basics Class 5 caught on right away and learned the fastest, said Neyelle.

Playing handgames is fun, said Winona Cli-Letcher, a student from Class 5.

Cli-Letcher said she enjoys being the captain and guessing which hand people have their token in.

You don't need a strategy on when to pick which hand, she said. "You just pick any one," said Cli-Letcher.