As I write this it is a beautiful, sunny Winters afternoon. Through the open doors I can hear the sounds of children next door playing – the loud, exaggerated counting and giggles associated with a good old fashioned game of hide and seek. It is the perfect sound to accompany this sunny day and brings to mind childhood memories of…
Good old fashioned outdoor games like
- Hide and seek
- Hopscotch
- Duck, duck, goose
- Scarecrows
- What’s the time, Mr Wolf?
- Please, Mr Crocodile, may we cross the river?
- Elastics
- Jump rope
- Hula hooping
- Piggy in the middle
- Knucklebones (jack stones)
- Marbles
- Four square
- Dodgeball (in all honesty, I hated this one!)
Which have these games have you shared with your children? What are others you would add to the list? As for me, I am off to draw a hopscotch grid with chalk right now before Immy wakes up. I am sure she won’t really get the whole idea of the game just yet but she will love jumping in the squares just the same 
Related Posts
Christie blogs at http://childhood101.com.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Go Home Stay Home was my fave!
I loved playing freeze tag, red rover red rover, and flashlight tag as a kid! My 3 year old loves "hopscotch" (the modified version).
I spent hours playing with elastics, jumping and singing with friends.
my girls love these kinds of games… we spent lots of time earlier this year learning how to skip and that is a firm favourite!
i loved Mr Crocodile may I cross the river?
Good old Ring a ring a rosy is currently a fave at this house…
And I hated Dodgeball too…freaked me out when I was a kid! I was actually told by my mentor teacher on my last prac that Dodgeball is a big no no now in schools? Is this correct?
oh and like Squigglemum – I played Elastics with my friends for hours
"England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Inside, Outside, Puppy Dog Tails!"
Leap frog and red rover are all the rage here. When I was a kid it was all about cartwheels.
Love this Christie!
My 8 year old has a dodgeball competition at school at the moment. He LOVES it.
I couldn't tell you how many times I've played Duck, Duck, Goose with kids groups I've worked with. Not really a fav with me but they will play it over and over.
At home I've shown Miss M the game of hopscotch but it really gets played more like you were expecting Immy to play it. Our absolute favourite is a game of family Hide 'n' Seek.
I can't wait to get Miss M hoola hooping and skipping, well she thinks she can already do it but clearly she can't – very funny!
I'm excited to try some of these, although with adjustments for one 3 1/2 yr old and a toddler! Sometimes I need a good reminder of things I can do with them!
We used to also play ring a ring a rosie, stuck in the mud and red rover cross over. I also remember loving playing with one of those massive parachutes in kindergarten where you'd put balls on them & make them bounce around or ppl would go under & you'd try & catch them.. Good fun.
The list of children’s games is intriguing. I do know and play several with my preschool students, but am unfamiliar with others on your list. Have you or could you give the directions or game rules for the games listed below?
• Scarecrows
• What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?
• Please, Mr. Crocodile, may we cross the river?
• Elastics Is this like Chinese Jump Rope?
• Piggy in the middle
• Knucklebones (jack stones)
• Marbles
I am looking for old fashion hand jacks. They were small metal 5 prong stars that stood up or stacked up on the floor when you flip them on the back of your hand. It also came with a small rubber ball. I am 51 yrs old played with them when I was 8, 9, 10 on my grandparnets porch.
Tenecia