What Playground Games Do You Remember As A Child?
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
February 12, 2010 4:26pm CST
Now then, let's see....it's been a while since I was at Primary School (as in 5-11 years old or whatever it was then) but I do remember lots of games we played in our break-times and lunch period.
There is hopscotch..see link below
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopscotch
Also, Two-Ball...what's that you may be asking. Well, you get two balls of tennis-ball size, find a wall, stand about 5ft away from it, throw the ball from your right hand (palm facing upwards) then slap the ball from your left hand (palm facing downwards) into your right hand, then keep throwing like that in a sequence. I am not explaining myself very well and the game is probably called something else..but it did involve lots of different moves whilst throwing the balls at the same time. Complicated but very entertaining, trust me!
Another game was called Elastic. This involved using er..a long piece of elastic between two girls that was stretched as far as possible, there were two strands going each way. The object of the game was to split your legs 
in order to get across the elastic...a bit like a variation of High Jump. Over time the elastic would be raised higher until it reached at least head height! The girl who could get across the Elastic (or even plonk her foot on it to get across, a feat in itself lol) at the highest level won the game.
The lads would play football and marbles. Remember them? Sometimes girls would play against boys at marbles and my brother had 100s of them in a big, cloth bag. They were all different (round) sizes made of glass with coloured inserts.
British Bulldogs was another daft game involving tagging but I didn't play that much. Too rough and tumble for me I'm afraid!
If you can remember any more games you played please let me know (doesn't have to be in the playground, could be Releasio..remember that?) those types of games. I'm sure I've missed a few out!
in order to get across the elastic...a bit like a variation of High Jump. Over time the elastic would be raised higher until it reached at least head height! The girl who could get across the Elastic (or even plonk her foot on it to get across, a feat in itself lol) at the highest level won the game.
The lads would play football and marbles. Remember them? Sometimes girls would play against boys at marbles and my brother had 100s of them in a big, cloth bag. They were all different (round) sizes made of glass with coloured inserts.
British Bulldogs was another daft game involving tagging but I didn't play that much. Too rough and tumble for me I'm afraid!
If you can remember any more games you played please let me know (doesn't have to be in the playground, could be Releasio..remember that?) those types of games. I'm sure I've missed a few out!2 people like this
9 responses
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
12 Feb 10
Dodge ball - person stands in the middle of the circle and the people on the outside of the circle throw a ball at them. If they hit the person in the middle with the ball, they get to be "it".
Hopscotch, Red rover, Volleyball...
2 people like this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 10
Mmm Dodge Ball, never heard of that before...which is what this site is about..learning stuff! Thanks for that.
3 people like this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
12 Feb 10
Got in trouble playing dodge ball. Apparently the ball grazed my clothing and I never felt it. so the other kids went and told on me and I got benched...
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 10
I had the same problem playing netball (a game I loathed) because this really aggressive "girl" bounced the ball on my head as she thought I was too slow. She was the Captain of the team and I was just playing to make the numbers up during P.E. It wrecked!
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
12 Feb 10
Red Rover, Red Rover
Let Janey come over....
For Elastic, we would link together rubber bands.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 10
Haha! I like it. Thank you for your response.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
16 Feb 10
You will have to explain "Red Rover" to me because I haven't got a clue what it is.
Is it similar to our Kiss Chase?
Is it similar to our Kiss Chase?
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
13 Feb 10
Nostalgia trip time and I remember playing British Bulldog as well as variation which was played with a tennis ball being thrown as you tried to leg it from one end of the play ground to the other, and yep it hurt when you got hit.
Along with marbles there was the autumnal favourite of Conkers which I am sure is not allowed anymore due to poxy health & safety .... pah.
There was also donkey, which was to do with kicking a football against a wall and trying to make it rebound somewhere which made it hard for your opponent to hit the wall.
Plus of course there was always kiss chase ....
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Feb 10
The trouble with kiss chase was that it was the lads playing it that none of the girls liked so it was a bit creepy!! Yes, we played Conkers as well...and you're right, it does seem to be "banned" in a lot of places. Pathetic isn't it? Kids not allowed to have fun, it's not right. We used to love Autumn because we would collect different-shaped leaves plus the "helicopters" which were those sycamore seeds. I loved watching those come down from the trees. I was easily pleased!!
I'm a Poet and I don't know it. Haha!
Yes, we played Conkers as well...and you're right, it does seem to be "banned" in a lot of places. Pathetic isn't it? Kids not allowed to have fun, it's not right. We used to love Autumn because we would collect different-shaped leaves plus the "helicopters" which were those sycamore seeds. I loved watching those come down from the trees. I was easily pleased!!
I'm a Poet and I don't know it. Haha!
@lelin1123 (15594)
• Puerto Rico
13 Feb 10
I remember playing hopscotch too. We also played hide and seek, jump rope, dodge ball. We also played "tag", I think that was what it was called. At home we would play cowboys and Indians, football, simon says, and double dutch. My favorite would be hide and seek. That you to be so much fun especially playing it in the backyard. We had alot of places that we were able to hide.
@lelin1123 (15594)
• Puerto Rico
13 Feb 10
Yes that is true I now find that happens alot with my granddaughter when we are playing hide and seek. She gives it away because she starts to laugh.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Feb 10
Excellent! Yes, it was the same with us. We loved to hide and let our friends try to find us (we usually gave ourselves away with our giggling) haha!
@msfrancisco9369 (10002)
• Boston, Massachusetts
13 Feb 10
Hi Jane,
I used to play the following:
1. chinese garter
2. marble game
3. badmnton
4. slides and
5. volleyball
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Feb 10
We used to play badminton in the school gym, how I love that game, so energetic! We used to play it in the street too (without a net) as in those days we could play in the middle of the ROAD and it would be ages before a car would come along. One of us would look one way, the other er...the other way and would shout out "CAR!" very loudly when one approached. Aah, those were the days. I feel sorry for kids now, there are too many PARKED cars in the way although there are gardens down Mum's street so really they have no excuses not to play out!
What on earth is Chinese Garter lol. You've having me thinking allsorts!
@abbey19 (3106)
• Gold Coast, Australia
12 Feb 10
Brings back memories, so let's see . . . what about skipping with a skipping rope? In my school days (1950/60's), I remember that as my favourite game! You could either have a single rope and skip alone, or two people holding a larger rope whilst one skips in the middle. Even harder was for four people to have two large ropes and turn them in sequence whilst one girl tried to skip between them - that took a lot of practice, believe me!
We also used to play hopscotch a lot, and if you were a tomboy as I was, I used to play marbles with the boys!@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 10
How could I have forgotten skipping?! How silly of me and thanks so much for bringing back my own memories of that glorious pastime. I think I have skipped with the larger rope but I didn't have the confidence with the two large ropes...although I may have tried it once. Delving deep into my memory banks to try to remember! Did we sing a rhyme whilst skipping as well? I know we did when playing Two-Ball. It's amazing what we can remember if we think hard enough isn't it? Thanks.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
13 Feb 10
I think that the game Kickball is the one I remember the most. We also used to get a parachute and play something with it but I don't remember a name. We just all surrounded it and put a ball in the middle. We would make a wave and try to keep the ball in the center. It was fun.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Feb 10
Oh yes I know what you mean with the parachute game. I don't know what it's called either! I think we played it indoors as part of our PE lesson if memory serves me...I don't remember ever playing it outside.
@doormouse (4599)
•
13 Feb 10
i played marbles with the boys,i normally lost as i wasn't very good at it,i also played elastics,jump rope and some game that i can't remember the name of,i think it had the name of a fruit in it,possibly something to do with apples
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Feb 10
Mmmm, the name of fruit. I'm afraid you've got me there doormouse. Maybe someone else will help us out with this one. I do know about dunking in a big tub of water full of apples (with hands behind my back) which is related to Hallowe'en I think. Is that what you're on about or am I completely off beam lol.
