Retro Playground Games. These are games that we play when we were kids.
Yes, we played games way back then with actual equipment and not clubs and ...
Retro Playground Games These are games that we play when we were kids. Yes, we played games way back then with actual equipment and not clubs and stones. Four Square Hopscotch Outdoor 7-Up Sock Ball Skipping Rhymes
Four Square Object: Players attempt to remain in square #1 the longest! Equipment: 1 Playground ball, 4-Square Court. (A standard 4-Square court is 8' x 8' and may be drawn using chalk or painted onto your playing surface. It consists of an eight foot square evenly divided vertically and horizontally, thus creating four squares. The four squares are then numbered. Upper left is court #1, upper right is court #2, lower right is court #3, and lower left is court #4.) How To Play: The first four players begin by standing inside one of the 4 squares. Player in court #1 serves the ball into any of the other 3 courts. That player returns the ball back to any court. Play proceeds like this until a player allows a ball to bounce twice in their court, hits the ball out of the court, hits a line, (spikes the ball- optional rule), or is unable to successfully return the ball to another court. If this occurs, that player rotates out of the game, either by going to the end of the wait line or to court #4 if there are only four players. The other players in the game rotate up to the empty space. (Player on court #4 moves to 3, 3 to 2, and 2 to 1.) If there are more than four players, the first waiting player enters at court #4. Every new round is served by the player in court #1.
Letters are used in this image, but numbers are also appropriate. Your choice. In order to determine who takes the A or 1 square RPS is always a great decision maker.
Hopscotch The first player tosses the marker (typically a stone or bean bag) into the first square. The marker must land completely within the designated square and without touching a line or bouncing out. The player then hops through the course, skipping the square with the marker in it. Single squares must be hopped on one foot. For the first single square, either foot may be used. Side by side squares are straddled, with the left foot landing in the left square, and the right foot landing in the right square. Optional squares marked "Safe", "Home", or "Rest" are neutral squares, and may be hopped through in any manner without penalty. After hopping into the "Safe", "Home", or "Rest" the player must then turn around and return through the course (square 9, then squares 7 & 8, next square 6 and so forth) on one or two legs depending on the square until he or she reaches the square with their marker. They then must retrieve their marker and continue the course as stated without touching a line or stepping into a square with another player's marker. Upon successfully completing the sequence, the player continues the turn by tossing the marker into square number two, and repeating the pattern. If while hopping through the court in either direction the player steps on a line, misses a square, or loses balance, the turn ends. Players begin their turns where they last left off. The first player to complete one course for every numbered square on the court wins the game. Although the marker is most often picked up during the game, historically, in the boy's game, the marker was kicked sequentially back through the course on the return trip and then kicked out. Hopscotch court options
Outdoor 7-Up Finding the rules for this game lead me on a merry chase. However, I found a blog that lasted 6 years from 2006 to January of 2012 from people from all over the UK, the US and Canada all trying to remember and reminisce about recess games. 7-up and Sock Ball where the two games that drew the most interest. You need a flat wall surface and a ball—the tri-coloured balls are the best for this. Depending on how many people want to play, you can have a couple of line of kids playing. One person stands at a comfortable throwing/bouncing distance from the wall. You can also draw base line on the ground with chalk or a rock on where people have to stand to throw the ball. The circuit is as follows: Seven-seys: Throw the ball against the wall 7 times and catch it. Six-seys: Throw the ball against the ball, allow it to come back and bounce on the ground once, then catch it. (6 times) Five-seys: Bounce the ball on the ground five times and catch it. Four-seys: (the reverse of six-seys) Throw the ball against the ground having it bounce against the wall, then catch it.(4 times) Three-seys: Bounce the ball on the ground once then divert it with the palm of your hand against the wall and when it bounces back catch it. (3 times) Two-seys: Throw the ball under one leg against the wall and when it bounces back, catch it. (2 times) One-seys: Throw the ball against the wall, then spin around quickly, and catch it without letting it hit the ground. (once). If you drop the ball or do not perform the required action, you are out and have to go the end of the line. I cannot fully remember, but I believe you were able to pick up from the number you left off at. If your friends were nice that is. After completing this circuit once, you would then proceed to clapping during each throw. 1 clap on each of the throws through the full circuit of seven-seys to one-seys. Then you would add an additional clap all the way up to seven claps per throw through the entire circuit. After the one front clap round, other optional rounds are: One front clap and then one back clap One back clap and then one front clap Using your “other” hand Standing on one foot, then the other foot Bowsie (bowing before any of the moves) Jumpsie (jumping before any of the moves)
Here’s the listing of that blog I mentioned above: All about people remembering games they played as kids: http://elusiveallusions.blogspot.ca/2006/05/145-lost-game.html#2200640580512509685
Sock Ball You put a rubber ball in a sock (we used one of mom's old nylon stockings so you could wrap it around your hand a few times) and stood with your back against the wall (we used the school's brick wall). You then swung and banged the ball against the wall either side of you saying a chant and on the last word of every second line of the chant, you lifted one leg and swung the ball under it. The chant was one often used in another bounce-the-ball game in which you swung your leg over the ball with each name in the chant: "A my name is (use a name starting with "A" such as Alice) My father's name is (use a male name starting with "A", such as Albert We come from (use a name of a town, province or country, say "Alberta") And we sell (use a name of some fruit ("apples") or animal ("alley cats") or article ("ashtrays")!" "B my name is Bertha My husband's name is Bobby We come from Boston and We sell Barbeques!"
You would then continue in this fashion through the entire alphabet until you either couldn't think of a name on the spot or the ball got tangled up in your leg and then it was the next person's turn.
Skipping Rhymes Be careful as some of these get stuck in your head and seem impossible to get out! Cinderella Cinderella, dressed in yella. Went upstairs to kiss a fella. By mistake she kissed a snake. How many doctors did it take? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. (jumper keeps jumping and counting, as the rope is turned faster and faster until the jumper misses) K-I-S-S-I-N-G - - (plug in name of jumper and favorite boy or girl "crush" of the jumper for the two names). Judy and Randy sittin' in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G (each letter said separately) First comes loves, then comes marriage. Then comes Judy with a baby carriage Down in the Valley Where the Green Grass Grows - - (same as above: plug in name of jumper and favorite boy or girl "crush" of the jumper for the two names). Down in the valley where the green grass grows There sat Sally as pretty as a rose, Along came Jimmy who kissed her on the cheek. How many kisses did she get this week? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. (jumper keeps jumping and counting until missing) Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear - - (Jumper performs each action as it is said - such as "turning around" or "sticking out tongue" - while jumping the rope at the same time.) Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground Teddy bear, teddy bear, stick out your tongue Teddy bear, teddy bear, have some fun. Teddy bear, teddy bear, go upstairs Teddy bear, teddy bear, say your prayers Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn out the lights Teddy bear, teddy bear, say goodnight.
Coffee and Tea - - (Plug in name of next jumper for the name. As each jumper jumps they chant the rhyme, saying the name of the next person in line. That person jumps in as the ropes are turning and both jump together while counting.) I like coffee, I like tea, I like Anna to jump with me. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 (during the count, both jumpers jump together - then the first jumper jumps out - the second jumper now chants the rhyme using the name of next in line.) Other Retro Recess Games: Foot Hockey Dodgeball (with a very soft ball) Tag Hide and Seek Chinese Jumprope (we called it Jumpsies) What else can you add to the list???
Equipment packages: 3 Indestruct-a-Balls 6 Skipping Ropes 9 ft. 6 Skipping Ropes 7 ft. 6 Easy grip Balls 5” 6 Sensory Balls 8” 12 Sidewalk chalk 6 “Pepsi” ball 3 Ultra skin/Dino Balls 6" 3 Ultra skin/Dino Balls 8" 6 Playground ball 8" (softer texture) 1 Large Storage bag Plus Retro Games Instructions.
