108 GAMES Children DON’T Play Anymore – but SHOULD
There once was a time when things were simpler. Do you remember that time? A time when days went slower (especially in summer!) and it was okay for kids to go to bed dirty. (Oh my did I just ‘say’ that?) The days before Facebook, and video games, remember? Jennifer and Kay, put this list together in hopes of encouraging other families to put aside all that technology, and find some simpler ways to enjoy their days. As you read through this list, I just bet you’ll find yourself smiling with some happy memories too! Enjoy!
- 20 questions
- Acrobatics – cart wheels, handstands, headstands, front walkovers, back walkovers, roundoffs, summersaults, front limbers,
- Ankle jump thingy (it has many names: Bell Hop, Footsee, Skip It, Lemon Twist, Jingle Jump, Skip-a-Roo)
- Annie, Annie Over Archery
- Badminton
- Balance beam Ball and cup Bean bag toss
- Bicycling
- Blind man’s bluff
- Bocce
- Bowling
- Building forts
- Button factory (“Hi! My name is Joe. I work in a button factory . . .)
- Button on a string Buzz
- Capsela
- Capture the flag
- Catch
- Checkers
- Chess
- Chinese checkers
- Chinese jump-rope
- Climbing up ropes (single and also woven/lattice like ones)
- Concentration
- Crab ball
- Crack the whip
- Croquet
- Dodge ball
- Dominoes on end – gently push the *last* one and they present the classic *domino effect*
- Duck-duck-goose
- Flashlight tag
- Folded boxes (from holiday cards, especially)
- Four square (with a ball)
- Fox and geese
- Foxtail
- Freeze tag
- Frisbee
- Frisbee golf
- Hand games (Peas porridge hot, or See, see, oh playmate, or I am a pretty little Dutch girl, etc.) Hangman
- Helicopters (out of construction paper- or with a stick launcher)
- Hens and chicks (wooden game with a frame and discs)
- Hide and seek
- Hide the button
- Hokey pokey
- Hopscotch Horse (basketball game with 2)
- Horse (AKA ghost – spelling game)
- Horse – shooting baskets game
- Horseshoes
- Hot potato
- Hula hoop
- Human knot
- I Spy
- Ice skating
- Jacks
- Jacob’s ladder
- Jump rope – alone
- Jump rope – 2 people jumping Jump rope – 2 people turning
- Jump rope – 2 ropes! (double dutch)
- Kick it and run
- Kick the can
- Kickball King of the Hill (played with kindness 😀 )
- Kite flying
- Lawn darts Lawn hose fights (! ! ! !)
- Leapfrog Legos Lincoln logs
- London bridge
- Lot ball (baseball in a small space – beware of nearby windows or use a waffle ball 😀 )
- Making flower garlands
- Marble game (wooden or plastic ramps, curves, spins, etc. that connect together;
- marbles race down the courses)
- Marbles Marco polo
- Miniature golf
- Model kits
- Monkey bars
- Mother may I
- Musical chairs
- Needle crafts – crochet, knit, needlepoint, hand sewing, embroidery, crewel work, cross stitch, petit point,
- Origami Paper airplanes
- Paper dolls (store bought or homemade)
- Paper snowflakes Pick up sticks
- Quoits (ring toss)
- Red light green light
- Red rover
- Roller skating
- Scrabble
- Seven up
- Sewing
- Shadow tag
- Shoot the moon
- Simon says
- Sledding Sliding down the barrister!
- Snow castles
- Spud Statues Stilts – wooden with posts or tin can and rope stilts
- String games – AKA cat’s cradle
- Strips of paper dolls (holding hands)
- Swinging
- Tag Telephone (whisper something to your neighbor, who repeats it to the next one, etc. AKA Gossip)
- Tetherball
- Tetter totter
- Thumb wrestling
- Tiddly winks
- Tinker toys
- Touch/flag football
101.Tricycling
102.Tug-of-war
103.Volleyball
104.Washing the car!
105.Water balloon
106.volleyball (with a blanket 😀 )
107.Wheelbarrel racing
108.Yoyo
What games do YOU remember from your childhood ? Add them to the list below for everyone to enjoy!
This list was compiled by Jennifer Rafferty, a homeschooling mom, and Kay Ness, a NeuroDevelopmentalist. They both would love to see more children playing! You can learn more about Kay Ness’s work for special needs kids at her website: www.senc.us
©Copyright 2013 Rita Davidson All Rights Reserved.
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