Memories of childhoods spent playing hopscotch and blind man’s buff may be being replaced by wistful recollections of thrashing Dad on the Game Boy or whipping Mum on the Wii – but there’s no need to give up on the old classics yet. Although a recent survey found more than a third of parents have lost the art of teaching their little ones those traditional playground pastimes, you can help to bring them back.
Just follow our top ten guide to the best old-style kids’ games that should never be allowed to go out of fashion…
Hopscotch
What?
Classic hopping game dates back to the late 17th century – originally known as ‘scotch-hop’ or ‘scotch-hopper’ from the word ‘scotch’ meaning “an incised line or scratch”. Can be played solo or in a group.
The kit?
Using chalk draw a hopscotch grid on the pavement – ten squares numbered from ‘1’ to ‘10’, each a little bigger than your feet. Draw the first three on top of one another and number them ‘1’, ‘2’ and ‘3’, with ‘1’ closest to the start line. Above square ‘3’ draw two boxes side-by-side, numbered ‘4’ and ‘5’. Then draw a single box, ‘6’, above those, and above ‘6’, two side-by-side boxes for ‘7’ and ‘8’. Draw a square for ‘9’ above those then, at the very top, a semi-circle labelled ‘10’.
How?
1.Throw a pebble on square ‘1’. If it lands outside the square, touches the borders or bounces out you forfeit your go. 2.Hop from square to square, in numerical order, avoiding the one you threw your pebble on. Each square gets one foot. 3.The only time you can put both feet down at the same time is when two number squares are next to one another. If you step on a line, hop on the wrong square or step out, you lose your turn. 4.When you get to the last square, turn around and hop back in reverse order, then when you are next to the square with your stone on it bend down and pick it up, skip over that square – and you’re done! 5.Now throw your pebble on to square ‘2’ and do the same again, and so on. If you lose your turn, pass the pebble on to the next person who must start at square ‘1’.
The first person to complete the course with the pebble in each square wins.
Leapfrog
What?
This game dates back to the late 16th century. In France it is translated as ‘leapsheep,' in Romanian as ‘mounting rack’ or ‘goat’ and in Italy it is called ‘baby horse’.
The kit?
Minimum two players.
How?
1.The first player rests hands on knees and stoops down. 2.The next player places their hands on that person’s back and leaps over by straddling legs wide. 3.That player then also bends down with hands on knees and a third leaps over the first and second player, and so on. 4.When all the players are bent down, the last left in line begins leaping over the others in turn.
Blind man’s buff
What?
A variation on ‘tag’, where the word ‘buff’ means ‘small push’. This game dates back 2,000 years ago to ancient Greece.
The kit?
A big clear space with at least a handful of players.
How?
1.One player is designated ‘it’ and is blindfolded, then disorientated by being spun around several times. 2.He or she must grope around trying to touch the other players without being able to see them. 3.The other players must call out to ‘it’ and scatter to avoid him or her. 4.The first player ‘tagged’ by ‘it’ becomes the next ‘it’ and another round is played.
Tiddlywinks
What?
A classic Victorian pastime, which some say was invented in England in the 1800s. Others argue a variation on the ‘sport’ can be found in ancient China.
The kit?
Four players – although two can work; a set of winks, or small round discs made of light plastic; a squidger, or larger disc used to propel the smaller discs into a pot; a pot; a mat upon which the game is played.
How?
1.Each player controls winks of one colour, of which there are six apiece. 2.The pot is at the centre of the mat, and each player begins with all their winks in one corner. 3.Taking turns, the player ‘flips’ one wink at a time with the big ‘squidger’ trying to launch it into the pot in the centre. 4.The players take turns, but if a player pots his or her wink he or she gets an extra shot. 5.The winner has all his or her winks in the pot at the end.
Jacks
What?
A game of ancient origin once known as knucklebones because it was formerly played with the knucklebones of a sheep, thrown up and caught in various ways.
The kit?
At least two players, five plastic or metal ‘jacks’ and a small ball.
How?
1.Throw the five jacks on the ground and pick up the ball. 2.Throw the ball up, pick up one jack with the same hand and then catch the ball before it hits the ground. 3.Put the jack in the other hand and repeat until all jacks have been picked up. 4.Throw the jacks back on the floor and start again, but this time picking up two jacks each time (except when there is only one left). 5.Repeat with three jacks, then four, until all five jacks must be picked up before the ball is caught. 6.When the player misses the ball or fails to pick up enough jacks, the next player tries. The player who manages the most, wins.
Paper planes
What?
The art of making a glider out of paper, originating in ancient China or Japan.
The kit?
One sheet of A4 paper.
How?
1.Fold in half lengthwise, making the folded edge sharp using a ruler or your fingernails. 2.Open the paper back out and fold down the top left corner, aligning it with the seam in the middle. Do the same with the top right corner. 3.Do this again with the paper as it is, on both sides. This should create an arrow-like shape. 4.Fold the plane in half again and lay it on one side. 5.Fold one half of the paper back on itself to create the ‘wing’ and again on the other side. 6.Then fold the tips up on the end of the wings – and take flight!
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOxLjOBHTzY for a step-by-step video guide.
Poohsticks
What?
A game first mentioned in A.A. Milne’s The House at Pooh Corner (1928), in which Winnie the Pooh accidentally drops a pine cone into a river from a bridge and devises the rules for Poohsticks.
The Kit?
Any bridge over running water, one (recognisable) stick per player.
How?
Each player drops a stick on the upstream side of the bridge and the one whose stick appears first on the other side wins.
Skipping
What?
Probably the most famous traditional playground pastime, skipping’s origin is unknown but the first evidence of “jump rope” can be seen in medieval paintings. Variations closer to the game played today first came about in America and skipping’s popularity soared in the 1940s and 1950s.
The kit?
A rope and a minimum of three children.
How?
There are countless skipping rhymes and games but the most simple is when two children each hold one end of the rope and a third jumps over the rope as it is swung around. For classic rhymes including “Teddy bear, teddy bear” see http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/studentssite/playgroundrhymes.html#skip and http://www.homeschool.co.uk/resource/skipping-rope-jump-rope-hopscotch-songs.html.
Cat’s cradle
What?
This string game can be found all over the world and it may first have been played in China and Korea.
The kit?
One long length of string (around 147 cm) tied into a loop at one end; two players.
How?
After slipping the string over both hands an elaborate series of patterns can be made – from “The Cat’s Eye” to “Diamonds” and the simple “Cradle”. For tips see http://www.ifyoulovetoread.com/book/chten_cats1105.htm
French elastic/French skipping
What?
A variation on rope skipping that’s thought to have originated in China or Japan in the 1920s and was brought to Britain during WWII by American air force families.
The kit?
A 2cm wide, 3m long length of elastic with the ends tied together to form a loop. Minimum three players.
How?
Two children stand inside the loop to stretch it around their ankles. A third performs a series of hops and jumps, while the players chant rhymes. The elastic is raised on each attempt, to knees, then thighs, then waist. Start with left foot inside the loop and right foot just outside. Jump to the other side so the right foot is inside the loop and the left foot is out. See http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/studentssite/playgroundgames.htm for ideas.
