Stella Ella Ola facts for kids

"Stella Ella Ola" is a fun clapping game played by children all over the world! It's a game where players stand or sit in a circle and sing a special song. As they sing, they clap their hands in a rhythm.

How to Play Stella Ella Ola

To play, everyone sits or stands in a circle. Each person places one hand on top of their neighbor's hand. So, your right hand might be under someone else's left hand, and your left hand might be on top of someone else's right hand.

As the song is sung, players clap their top hand down onto the palm of the person whose hand is underneath theirs. This happens on every beat of the song. The clapping goes around the circle.

When the song ends, if your hand is slapped, you are "out." This means you usually move to the center of the circle or step out to watch.

There's a tricky rule too! If you are about to be slapped, you can try to pull your hand away super fast. If you succeed and the person trying to slap misses your hand, then they are out instead!

Game Lyrics

The main part of the game is singing the catchy song. Here are the most common lyrics:

Another popular version of the lyrics is:

Different Versions of the Song

"Stella Ella Ola" is played in many places, and the lyrics can change a bit from one region to another. It's cool how a game can have so many different versions!

Here are a few examples of how the song is sung in different places:

Canadian Versions

• Saskatchewan, Canada:

• Alberta, Canada:

• Vancouver, British Columbia:

United States Versions

• Kentucky:

• Massachusetts:

• New York City:

Other International Versions

• Israel:

• United Kingdom:

Game Variations

Sometimes, games like "Stella Ella Ola" can be played in slightly different ways. These are called variations.

Two-Player Fun

• Instead of a circle, two players might slap both hands up and down. The person whose hands are on the bottom when the song ends might be out.
• Players can hold each other's right hand by the fingers. They then swing their linked hands from side to side, hitting a left hand on each count. If one player pulls their hand away on the last count, the other player loses.
• Two players can hold hands and try to pull the other person over a line when the song finishes.

Three-Player Fun

• In one version with three players, one player turns around. The other two players hold hands and switch places. When the song ends, the player who was turned around says "top" or "bottom." The hand in that position wins!
• Another version can be played with three or more people. Everyone sits in a circle. Your right hand rests on top of the left hand of the person to your right. One person starts by lifting their right hand and slapping the right hand of the person to their left. This continues around the circle. At the end, the person who has the last slap tries to hit the hand next to them. If they hit it, that person is out. If the person pulls their hand away, the slapper is out!

Where It Appears

"Stella Ella Ola" is not just a game; it has also appeared in popular culture!

• The lyrics from the game are part of the song "Supernatural" by Børns, which is on their album Blue Madonna.
• The game also showed up in an episode of the CBC show Mr. D in season 6, episode 3.