Petanque facts for kids

Petanque is a super fun outdoor game that many people enjoy, especially in France! It's a bit like bowling or bocce ball, but with its own special rules. Players throw metal balls, called boules, trying to get them as close as possible to a small wooden target ball, called a cochonnet (pronounced "ko-sho-nay") or jack.

How to Play Petanque

Petanque is usually played on a flat surface, often covered with gravel. It can be played almost anywhere, from parks to special courts!

Teams and Players

• Triples: This is the most common way to play. Each team has three players, and each player gets to throw two boules.
• Doubles: In a doubles game, each team has two players, and each player throws three boules.
• Singles: You can even play one-on-one! In a singles game, each player throws three boules.

Starting the Game

To begin a round, one player stands inside a circle drawn on the ground. This player throws the small wooden cochonnet a certain distance away. Then, the same player throws their first boule, trying to get it close to the cochonnet.

Taking Turns and Scoring

After the first player throws, a player from the other team takes their turn. They try to throw their boule even closer to the cochonnet, or they might try to knock away an opponent's boule!

Teams keep taking turns until all the boules have been thrown. When a round (called an "end") is finished, the team with the boule (or boules) closest to the cochonnet wins points. They get one point for each of their boules that is closer than the opponent's closest boule.

The game continues with new rounds until one team reaches 13 points. That team wins the game!

Where Petanque is Played

Petanque is most famous in France, especially in the south. But it's also played all over the world! You can find people playing Petanque in many countries, from the United Kingdom to Thailand and beyond. It's a great game for all ages, and you don't need a lot of fancy equipment to get started.

Images for kids

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  Petanque players in Cannes, France

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  Pétanque being played indoors at an IBA reunion in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

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  Pétanque at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games

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  Pétanque player throwing from a prefabricated circle

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  A cochonnet (the small target ball) and a boule (the larger metal ball)

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  Playing pétanque in the late afternoon at Aigues-Mortes

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  Men playing pétanque next to the Fort St. Louis in Toulon.

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  The 2006 Pétanque World Championship in Grenoble, France

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  Action on the Pétanque field in Batignolles.

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  Players of the Brighton & Hove Petanque Club on the Peace Statue Terrain, Brighton & Hove, UK

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  Pétanque players at the port of Bonifacio in 1975

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  Pétanque is a popular game among pensioners, here in Ystad 2022.

See also

In Spanish: Petanca para niños