As the weather stays warmer, it is so delightful to hear children playing outdoors in the neighbourhood. I am lucky to live in a street that does not have very much traffic, so children can get out onto the footpath and fill the air with their laughter, games and adventures.
Lately, I have noticed a principle of influence in our neighbourhood. One day, on my way home from lunch, I saw this drawn on the footpath nearby my house:
It made me smile 🙂 Remember playing hopscotch? What a GREAT game!! It is active, and fun, and helps to build maths skills, and social skills. It is great to see that children still play these classic games that we all remember from our childhood.
How to play hopscotch
This game can be played with any number of players from 1+
Use chalk to draw a hopscotch pattern on the ground (like in the drawing above) or use masking tape on the floor.
Number the eight sections from one – eight plus home.
Use a marker, such as a stone, bottlecap, shell or button for each player.
If you have younger children, they can still play the game by simply hopping across the single versus double squares. Your young children will find hours of entertainment in this simple game.
The game begins!
Player one stands behind the starting line and tosses his or her marker into square one.
They then hop on one foot over the marker to square two, and continue hopping until square eight. If the design of the hopscotch diagram has double squares, then the player jumps with both feet. Once in square eight, they turn around and hop back again, pausing on square two, to pick up their marker, hop into square one and out.
The player then continues by tossing their marker into square two.
Getting out: A player is out if the marker does not land in the proper square, or if the hopper steps on a line, or loses balance when bending over to pick up the marker, or puts a second hand or foot down. Additionally, if the player goes into a square where the marker is, or if the player puts two feet down in a single box, they are also deemed ‘out’.
Once a player gets out, the player puts the marker in the square where he or she will resume playing on the next turn, and the next player begins.
Children’s street art
As soon as one of these sets of drawings appeared in my neighbourhood, they have started springing up everywhere! I can imagine the young children being as delighted as I was to see the handiwork of the child in the street nearby and asking their parents if they could do the same thing outside their house?
There really are some beautiful drawings outside, such creative children in my neighbourhood!
We really love and encourage active, outdoor play. Browse our range of outdoor toys for ideas of games that your children can play outdoors to be active this summer!
The weather is lovely, so it is wonderful to be playing outside. The children are reveling in it, from what I can gather from their laughter and excited squeals in the afternoons!
Related posts
A day at the beach – Little Snail
History and variations of hopscotch – Wikipedia