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Lost Outdoor Games From Times Past

by: RachelRay
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It seems like a lot of classic childhood games that were played outside with little or no equipment, gadgets and the like are getting lost. Kids are not hearing about these games much of the time, much less how to play them.

Many of these are great exercise, cost nothing and best of all build awesome childhood memories. Many of my fondest childhood memories are hours and hours of playing these various games with my brother, cousins and anyone else who was nearby.

Here's a list of some of my favorites: Red Light Green Light - One person plays the "stop light" and the rest try to touch him/her. Whoever touches him first wins. To begin all the children form a line about 15 feet away from the stop light person. That stop light person faces away from the line of children and says "green light". At this point the kids are allowed to move towards the stoplight, some run, some walk or sneak. At any point, the stop light person calls out "red light" and turns around. If any of the kids are caught moving after this has occurred, they are out. This continues until the first player to touch the stop light wins the game and earns the right to be "stop light" for the next game.

Kick The Can - This is a mix of both hide and seek and tag. One person chosen is "it" and closes their eyes and counts to a number agreed upon my all. Everyone else hides during this time. Then, the person who counted and is in charge of guarding the can tries to find everyone. The tricky aspect is that when a person is found, they both race, to attempt to kick the can over before the "it" person tags them. There always seems to be those trickster kids hide in a dumb close by place, with the sole intent of running as fast as they can, for the can when they're caught, many times catching the "it" person off guard.

Marbles - A relatively smooth playing field is needed, usually on dirt. A small hole is made in the center of the playing area. Each player antes up a marble, and they are randomly scattered around the playing field. Each player uses a large marble called a shooter to try to knock the other marbles into the hole much like shooting pool. Players take turns shooting, and if a player knocks a marble into the hole with his/her shot, they get to keep the marble they knocked in and shoot again. Of course simple marble trading is always popular too.

Duck Duck Goose - Kids sit in a circle facing each other. One person is "it" and walks around the circle. As they walk around, they gently tap the person's head that they just walked past and say whether they are a "duck" or a "goose". Once someone is proclaimed a "goose" that person gets up and tries to chase "it" around the circle. The goal is to tag that person before they are able sit down in the "goose's" spot. If the goose is not able to do this, they become "it" for the next round and the game continues on like before. If they do tap the "it" person, the person tagged has to sit in the center of the circle. Then the goose become it for the next round. The person stuck in the middle can't leave until someone else is tagged and they are replaced.

Stick Ball - No teams are used in this, just a person designated the batter and the rest are in the outfield. Tennis balls are great to reduce risk of breaking windows, and either a bat or stick is used. The batter throws the ball in the air and hits it, then lays the bat or stick on the ground in front of them. Whoever gets the ball first, then rolls the ball to the bat, which causes it to bounce. If the batter does not catch the ball, the person who rolled the ball becomes the next batter. If someone catches a fly ball he/she is automatically the next batter.

Hopscotch - is a hopping game that is fun, good exercise and encourages balance. It can be played either on a cement area, sidewalk or indoor floor. There are many pattern variations, so try different ones, but chalk or tape 8 sections out and number them. Each person has some type of marker that's theirs, like a button, rock, or something else similar.

The first player stands behind the starting line to toss her or his marker in square 1. Hop over square 1 to square 2 and then continue hopping to square 8, turn around, and hop back again. Pause in square 2 to pick up the marker, hop in square 1, and out. Then continue by tossing the stone in square 2. All hopping is done on one foot unless the hopscotch design is such that two squares are side-by-side. Then two feet can be placed down with one in each square. A player must always hop over any square where a maker has been placed.

A player is out if the marker fails to land in the proper square, the hopper steps on a line, the hopper looses balance when bending over to pick up the marker and puts a second hand or foot down, the hopper goes into a square where a marker is, or if a player puts two feet down in a single box. The player puts the marker in the square where he or she will resume playing on the next turn, and the next player begins. Sometimes a dome-shaped "rest area" is added on one end of the hopscotch pattern where the player can rest for a second or two before hopping back through.

Farmer in the Dell - Participants needs about 15 or more stand in a circle. One person is chosen as the Farmer and stands in the middle. Everyone sings, "The farmer in the dell, the farmer in the dell; Heigh ho, the Derry-oh the farmer in the dell" and walk around in the circle. The next verse is "The farmer takes a wife . . .," which is sung as the first person chooses another person from the circle to come to the inside. The next verse is "The wife takes a child . . .," when the second person inside the circle chooses a third person to be the child. This continues with "The child takes a dog . . .," "The dog takes a cat . . .," "The cat takes a rat . . .," and "The rat takes the cheese . . .." The final verse is? The cheese stands alone . . .," when all people on the inside of the circle go back to the outer edge of the circle and sing as the last person chosen "stands alone" in the circle, the game is then finished.

Try to remember some of your favorites and add to the list. Recreate the lost games of childhood and pass on to your children and grandchildren to enjoy, plus share a bond with them of examples of what you did as a child. It will help them see you in a new light.

About the Author

By Rachel Ray - Seeking to assist others engage their creativity by renewing and having some fun with life. Many times home life can be simply too tense and stress filled.

Lost Outdoor Games From Times Past

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