Old Fashion Games

Subject: Old Fashion Games Mon Nov 26, 2012 1:17 am

http://www.nannyjobs.org/blog/50-old-fashioned-games-kids-can-play/

Outdoor Games

Hopscotch – This game requires little more than chalk, a rock, and some room. Just draw out the desired jumping pattern, toss a rock, and get hopping. This game also helps to teach children to take turns, follow directions, and balance.
Jump Rope – Jumping rope is great exercise, but there are so many variations that children can see it as a game. Making rhymes to judge how long a child can jump, and using two ropes to play ‘Double Dutch’ are just two variations on jump rope. Not only is jumping rope great aerobic exercise, it also improves coordination and upper body strength.
Hula Hoop – A simple plastic hoop can lead to all kinds of fun exercise. Twirling it around their waist, children strengthen core muscles and balance, around their arms builds endurance, around their legs builds coordination.
Horseshoes – While real horseshoes are heavy and could be dangerous, this game does not require them. Anything would do. Plastic horseshoes are light and cheap, but even a small hoop would work. This game teaches coordination, spatial reasoning, and taking turns.
Bocce – Similar to horseshoes, bocce is played with balls. The object is to get closest to a post or point in the yard. Other players try to knock away your ball while getting closer. Older children would enjoy this more, as it encourages competition.
Lawn Bowling – In reality, this game is very similar to bocce, however most children take the name literally. They stand up ‘pins’ – which could be mild containers or coke bottles- and see how many they can knock down. As with any game that requires destruction, boys particularly like it if the pins make a loud noise when toppled.
Croquet – Leery of letting your kids loose with giant hammers? Don’t worry; a hammer-free version is just as fun. Kids can kick the balls through hoops until they reach the goal. This game teaches strategy, taking turns, and coordination.
Tag – The simplest of children’s games, tag requires no equipment and can be played with two people or fifty people. There are many variations, but essentially one person is ‘it’ and tries to touch the others. Whoever is touched becomes the next ‘it’. A lot of running, sneaking and laughing will be involved.
Four Square – A simple game that requires little more than a ball and some space, four square has many variations. The simplest is to divide an area up into four squares and have a child stand on the corner of the square. The ball must be bounced in an opposing square. The object is to pass the ball without letting it drop. This game teaches dexterity, social skills, and strategy.
Kickball – Essentially baseball without the bat, kickball is open to all ages. With three bases and a home plate, the rules are almost identical. The only exception is that the ball that is used is usually a large rubber one, suitable for kicking.
HORSE – A simple basketball game. Player #1 is allowed to shoot from anywhere on the court. If he makes the shot, then player #2 must duplicate the same shot from the same position. If player #2 misses, he receives the first “letter” from the word “horse”, “H”. If player #2 makes the shot, no letter is given to either player, player #2 receives control of the ball, and he can select a new shot from anywhere on the court. If player #1 missed his original shot, then player #2 would also be free to shoot from anywhere on the court. In either case where player #2 selects a new shot, the play proceeds as before: if he makes it, it forces the next player (player #1 if there are only two players; or #3 if there are more than two players) to try and duplicate his made shots; should he miss, the next player has a free shot selection. The first player to spell “horse” loses. Think of it as free-throw practice. It teaches hand-eye coordination.
Teatherball – A game for two players. The equipment consists of a stationary metal pole, from which is hung a ball from a rope, or tether. The two players stand on opposite sides of the pole. Each player tries to hit the ball one way; one clockwise, and one counterclockwise. The game ends when one player manages to wind the ball all the way around the pole so that it is stopped by the rope.
Marbles – A typical game of marbles for children is a simple circle drawn in the dirt or with chalk. A few marbles from every player are placed in the center of the circle. Using larger marbles, called shooters, each player attempts to knock a marble out of the circle. Whatever marbles are knocked out are kept by the player who knocked it out. Whoever ends up with the most marbles at the end wins.
Touch Football – Touch football is a variant of American football in which the basic rules are similar to those of the mainstream game, but instead of tackling players to the ground, the person carrying the ball need only be touched by a member of the opposite team to end a down. This also can be played using flags or cloths attached to player’s belts. When the flag is pulled, that player has been tackled. This is a much safer version of football for children.

Indoor Games

Tiddlywinks – This game can be played with pennies or any other, small flat objects. The objective is to flip the coin, using the edge of another coin, into a small circle. This game helps develop fine motor skills, patience, and spatial reasoning.
Jacks – A pick-up game. A handful of jacks and two rubber balls are needed. Two players bounce a rubber ball and try to pick up as many jacks as they can. They must catch the rubber ball before it bounces again. Whoever has the most jacks wins.
Rock, Paper, Scissors – A hand game played by two or three. The players count aloud to three, each time raising one hand in a fist and swinging it down on the count. After the third count, the players change their hands into one of three gestures, which they then “throw” by extending it towards their opponent. The gestures are: Rock, represented by a clenched fist. Scissors, represented by two fingers extended and separated. Paper, represented by an open hand. The objective is to select a gesture which defeats that of the opponent. Gestures are resolved as follows: Rock defeats scissors. Scissors defeats paper. Paper defeats rock. If both players choose the same gesture, the game is tied and the players throw again.
Tic-Tac-Toe – A simple game for young children, the object is to get three in a row. Xs and Os are usually used in a # pattern. With older children and adults, the game frequently ends up in a tie, as neither side can win.
Thumb War – A children’s game played by two players in a tournament using the thumbs to simulate fighting. The object of the game is to pin the opponent’s thumb, often to a count of three. The players face each other and each holds out their left hand or right hand in a “thumbs up”, and they link hands in a monkey grip. The game is typically initiated with both the players uttering the rhyme “One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war”, and their thumbs passing over each other in time with this rhyme. Gameplay has several tactics such as “playing possum”, aiming for the knuckle rather than the nail for a pin, going for a quick strike, and waiting for one’s opponent to tire. Or sneak attacks, which involve using your pointer finger to take over the opponent.
Clapping Game – Known by many names, this is a song game. Children make up rhyming songs and sit, facing each other. They clap their hands together on specific words and get faster and faster until one child messes up. The one that didn’t mess up is the winner.
Cat’s Cradle – A game played with string; the game begins with the first player wrapping a loop of string around the hand (around the fingers or wrists) and taking one side of the string and circling the hands again. Then this play takes the string which runs on the inside of the left arm onto the first finger of their right hand, then, reaching through the triangle created, the loop on the inside of the right hand is taken onto the first finger of the left hand. The aim of the game is to make a set of figures including the “cat’s cradle”. This is created by two sets of crossed string between both hands. A second player grasps each cross horizontally using the thumb and first fingers, pulls these outwards, down under the line which runs below the crosses from the first players wrists, and back up. The first player lets go of the figure and the second player stretches it open by bringing apart the thumbs and fingers. This figure is the “diamonds”. A series of other alterations produce more figures, some of which lead back to the diamonds while some are dead ends and cannot be transformed.
Pick Up Sticks – This is a game of physical and mental skill for two or more players. The object of the game is to pick up the most sticks. To begin the game, a bundle of sticks are somewhat randomly distributed so that they end up in a tangled pile. The more tangled the results, the more challenging the game. The first player attempts to remove a single stick, without moving any other stick. Players must not move any other sticks while attempting to remove the chosen stick; if any other sticks move, his turn ends immediately. Players who successfully pick up a stick can then have another turn; the player keeps removing sticks until he or she causes a secondary stick to move. The game is over when the last stick is removed. The winner is the player with the highest number of sticks picked up.
Checkers – it is played on an eight by eight squared board (with sixty-four total squares) with twelve pieces on each side. These pieces may only initially move and capture diagonally forwards. Only when a piece is “crowned” or “kinged” may it move both backwards, forwards and as far as wanted. It is played by two people, on opposite sides of a playing board, alternating moves. Traditionally the pieces are either black, white, or red. The opponent’s pieces are captured by jumping over them. This game teaches strategy.
Twenty Questions – A spoken game that encourages deductive reasoning and creativity. One player is chosen to be the answerer. That person chooses a subject but does not reveal this to the others. All other players are questioners. They each take turns asking a question which can be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No.” The answerer answers each question in turn. Sample questions could be: “Is it bigger than a breadbox?” or “Can I put it in my mouth?” Lying is not allowed, as it would ruin the game. If a questioner guesses the correct answer, that questioner wins and becomes the answerer for the next round. If 20 questions are asked without a correct guess, then the answerer has stumped the questioners and gets to be the answerer for another round.

Group Games

Simon Says – A great game for groups of children, Simon Says teaches your child the importance of listening and following instructions. As Simon, the leader, one child calls out actions, always receded by the words ‘Simon Says’. If he calls out something without saying ‘Simon Says’ and a child in the group performs the action, that child is out of the game.
Red Light, Green Light – Similar to tag, the objective is to tag one child. The child stands at a distance from the group with his back turned. He calls out ‘green light’ and the children all run towards him. He calls out ‘red light’ and turns around. Anyone who doesn’t stop has to go back to the start. This continues until the caller is tagged. Then the tagger becomes the caller.
Red Rover – A fun game for groups, usually ten or more people are required. Two groups form lines opposite one another with about thirty feet between them. The children hold hands. One team calls out, “Red Rover, Red Rover, let (Name) over!” Whoever’s name they called from the opposing team runs towards them and tries to break the line. If the line holds, the person has to join the opposing team. If the line breaks, then the person gets to choose one of the ‘broken’ children to take back to join the other group. This continues until there is no one left on one of the teams.
Dodgeball – Another fun game for groups, this game requires at least one ball, but more are preferable. The balls should be soft and the children should be cautioned not to throw towards the face. The children form two groups and face each other. They throw balls, attempting to tag a member of the other team. Anyone hit with a ball is ‘out’. If you catch a ball or it strikes the ground than it is safe to use. This game helps children to learn balance, hand-eye coordination, and reflex.
Hide and Seek – A fun game for two or more children, hide and seek teaches strategy, patience, and observational skills. The seeker has to close their eyes and count to an agreed upon number while the hiders hide. One the number is reached the seeker shouts out, ‘ready or not, here I come!’ The seeker tries to find all the hidden children. Whoever he finds first becomes the next seeker. If any children cannot be found after a certain amount of time, the seeker can call out; ‘olly, olly, oxen free!’ and the hiders can safely come out of hiding.
Duck, Duck, Goose – A group game that can be played indoors, this game is simple but fun. All the children but one sits in a circle. The standing child goes around the circle, touching each child and calling out ‘duck’. When the standing child calls out ‘goose’, the child he touched must jump up and race him around the circle to get back to their seat. If the ‘goose’ does not beat the standing child, he becomes the next picker.
Blind Man’s Bluff – A group game similar to tag, one of the children is chosen as ‘it’. The ‘it’ is blindfolded and sometimes turned several times to lose a sense of direction. The other children scatter as the ‘it’ tries to touch them. If the ‘it’ touches one of the children, that child becomes the next ‘it’.
Marco Polo – This game is the same as Blind Man’s Bluff, except it is played in the pool. The ‘it’ child closes his eyes and calls out ‘Marco’ and all the other children must answer ‘Polo’. By following the sound of their voice, the ‘it’ child tries to touch them. Both of the games help with listening and reasoning skills, as well as balance and using other senses.
Telephone – A fun game for groups, the children all line up. The first child makes up a short message for the others to pass down. Each child whispers the message to the next one until it reaches the end of the line. The last child then calls out the message. Everyone will laugh because of how much the message has changed. Comparing the original message to the end message can help children to understand the dangers of spreading gossip and how misunderstandings happen. It can also be used to teach young children to moderate the volume of their voice and how to listen attentively.
Capture the Flag – Another tag-like game. Two teams form. Each team has a flag – which could be anything- and the objective of the game is to touch the opposing team’s flag without being ‘captured’ or tagged. This game teaches strategy, reflexes, stealth, and observation.
Hot Lava – The Floor is Lava is a game for all ages, in which the players imagine that the floor or ground is made of lava, or variably as any other unsavory substance, such as acid or quicksand, and thus avoid touching the ground lest they get burned or otherwise injured. The players stay off of the floor by standing on furniture or the room’s architecture. The players generally do not remain still, moving from one piece of furniture to the next. The game can be played with a group or alone for self-amusement. There may even be a goal, to which the players must race. The game may also be played outdoors in playgrounds or similar areas. Players can also set up obstacles to make the game more challenging. This is a variation of an obstacle course.
Mother May I – A game for groups, one player plays the “mother”. The other players are the “children”. To begin the game, the mother stands at one end of a room, while all the children line up at the other end. The children take turns asking “Mother, may I ____?” and makes a movement suggestion. For example, one might ask, “Mother, may I take five steps forward?” The mother either replies “Yes, you may” or “No, you may not do that, but you may _____ instead” and inserts her own suggestion. The players usually move closer to the mother but are sometimes led farther away. Even if the mother makes an unfavorable suggestion, the child must still perform it. The first of the children to reach the location of the mother wins the game. That child then becomes the mother herself, the original mother becomes a child, and a new round begins.
Seven Up – Usually played in the classroom; to start the game, seven children are selected and come to the front of the room. The teacher says, “Heads down, thumbs up!” The children who are not selected then put their heads down, close their eyes, and put up one thumb each. The chosen seven circulate through the room, secretly pressing down one thumb each and then returning to the front of the room. A variation is simply tapping the person. This part of the game takes about one minute. The teacher then calls, “Heads up, seven up!” All children raise their heads and the seven whose thumbs were pressed stand up. Each in turn names the person they think pressed their thumb. If they are correct, the thumb-presser sits down and the winning child takes their place. The game then starts again. This game teaches observational and listening skills.
Tug-of-War – A game of strength; two teams each grab the opposite ends of a rope. A line is drawn in the center and each team tries to pull the other team over that line. Whoever crosses the line loses.

Musical Games

London Bridge – A familiar children’s song, London Bridge is a game that accompanies the song. Two children stand facing each other. They hold hands and raised their hands to form a ‘bridge’. As they sing, the children go under the bridge. Whoever is caught when the bridge falls down is out.
Musical Chairs – A familiar party game, a circle of chairs is placed in the middle of the room. There is one less chair than there are people. As the music plays, the children circle around the chairs. When the music stops everyone tries to sit down. Whoever is left standing is out and one chair is removed. The game continues until the last chair is captured.
Hot Potato – A great activity for practicing motor skills such as eye–hand coordination and catching; this game is similar to musical chairs, except the one left holding the ‘potato’ is out. Children toss the potato as the music plays. When the music stops, whoever has the hot potato is burned!
Hokey Pokey – Children stand in the shape of a big ring formation during the dance. The dance follows the instructions given in the lyrics of the song. Specific body parts are named, and these are then sequentially put into the ring, taken out of the ring, and finally wiggled around furiously inside the ring. After this is done the child raises his hands up to the side of the head, wiggles them, and turns around in place until the next sequence begins, with a new named body part.
Joe – “Hi, my name is Joe. I have a wife and two kids and I work in a button factory…” A singing game much like the Hokey Pokey, Joe has children push ‘buttons’ with their hands or other mentioned actions. They may twist screws, flip switches, or just press buttons, but the object of the game is to do as many as possible at once without messing up. The last one doing everything wins. Coordination, memory, and motor skills are learned with this game.

Card Games

Old Maid – A simple card game that helps children to learn strategy. Beginning with the dealer, each player takes turns offering his hand face-down to the person on his left. That person selects a card and adds it to his or her hand. This player then sees if the selected card makes a pair with their original cards. If so, the pair is discarded face up as well. The player who just took a card then offers his or her hand to the person to their left and so on. The object of the game is to continue to take cards, discarding pairs, until all players except one have no cards. That one player will be left with the lone unmatchable card; they are “stuck with the old maid” and lose.
Slapjack – An even simpler card game that helps with reflexes and accuracy; the deck is divided into face-down stacks as equally as possible between all players. One player removes the top card of his stack and places it face-up on the playing surface within reach of all players. The players take turns doing this in a clockwise manner until a Jack is placed on the pile. At this point, any and all players may attempt to slap the pile with the hand they used to place the card. Whoever covers the stack with his hand first takes the pile, but if a card covers the jack it does not count. He must shuffle it, and add it to the bottom of his stack. When a player has run out of cards, he has one more chance to slap a jack and get back in the game, but if he fails, he is out. Gameplay continues with hands of this sort until one player has acquired all of the cards.
Go Fish – A simple strategy game easy enough for even small children to learn. Using a standard deck, five cards are dealt to each player. The remaining card pack is shared between the players, called a ‘pool’. The player whose turn it is to play asks another player for his or her cards of a particular rank. For example, “Steve, do you have any threes?” Players cannot ask for a card they are not holding. The recipient of the request must then hand over all cards of that rank, if he or she has any. If the recipient of the request has none, he or she tells the player to “go fish,” and the player draws a card from the pool and ends his turn. If the player receives the card he or she wanted (through either means), he may take another turn. If the player is now holding all four suits of one rank, he may play the cards face up in front of himself. When one player runs out of cards, or the pool is empty, the game ends. The player with the most piles in front of him or her wins.
Spoons
War – A card game between two players; the deck is divided evenly among the two players. In unison, each player reveals the top card on his deck (a “battle”), and the player with the higher card takes both the cards played and moves them to the bottom of his stack. If the two cards played are of equal value, each player lays down three face-down cards and picks one of the cards out of the three (a “war”), and the higher-valued card wins all of the cards on the table, which are then added to the bottom of the player’s stack. In the case of another tie, the war process is repeated until there is no tie. A player wins by collecting all the cards.
Memory – Also known as Concentration; a card game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards. Concentration can be played with any number of players or as solitaire and is an especially good game for young children, though adults may find it challenging and stimulating as well.

Word Games

I Spy – A guessing game usually played with young children, partly to assist in both observation and in alphabet familiarity. I spy is often played as a car game. One person starts by choosing an object (a cow, for example) and says “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with C” or simply “I spy something beginning with C.” The other players look around and suggest things it might be: “Crow” (no), “Car” (no), “Cloud” (no), “Cow” – yes. The person who guesses correctly often gets to choose the next object.
Hangman – A paper and pencil guessing game for two or more players. One player thinks of a word and the other tries to guess it by suggesting letters. The word to guess is represented by a row of dashes, giving the number of letters and category of the word. If the guessing player suggests a letter which occurs in the word, the other player writes it in all its correct positions. If the suggested letter does not occur in the word, the other player draws one element of the hangman diagram as a tally mark. The game is over when the guessing player completes the word, or guesses the whole word correctly; the other player completes the diagram and the man ‘hangs’.

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