Whether it was in the schoolyard during lunchtime or a quiet evening at home a big part of childhood was playing games. Playing games is great fun, but it’s also really important to develop social skills and increase your intelligence. In this blog we’re going to tell you about some of our favourite childhood games.
On the Playground
- Hopscotch – This is an international game played on playgrounds around the world. It’s great to develop coordination and balance. In the UK it’s one of the top 10 playground games for kids
- Hide and seek – In this game, one person hides and other children try to find him. This game is great for developing creativity. If you’re the person hiding, you have to think creatively about where to hide so people won’t find you. If you’re looking for the hider, you have to put yourself in the other person’s head and think about where they might be hiding.
- What’s the time Mr Wolf? – This is a game in which one child is called “Mr Wolf” and stands with their back to a group of children. These other children call out, “What’s the time Mr Wolf”? Mr Wolf can answer one of two ways. If Mr Wolf says a time on the clock (like “3 o’clock”) the other children take that many steps forward (3 steps, for example). If Mr Wolf says, “It’s lunchtime!” He turns around and tries to catch one of the other children. If Mr Wolf catches one of the other kids, that child becomes Mr Wolf.
Indoor Games
- Cat’s Cradle – This is a great game for kids to develop coordination and an understanding of complex systems.
- Scavenger hunt – This is a game for the mind and the body. In a scavenger hunt you have to read and understand clues that will lead you to find hidden objects. It’s a great game for a rainy day that will stretch and expand a child’s brain power.
- The floor is lava – This game is a lot of fun when you can’t go outside, but it’s a bit dangerous. The idea is that the floor is lava, which is hot, so you have to move across a room without touching the floor. You can walk on furniture (sofas, tables, chairs, etc.), but your feet can’t touch the floor. This game is best when the parents aren’t home.
These are our suggestions for our favourite childhood games. What are yours? What have we left off the list? Take a walk down memory lane and tell us.
Vocabulary
Match the bold words to the definitions below
- (n.) a piece of evidence or information to solve a puzzle or crime.
- (n.) the ability to use different parts of the body together smoothly and efficiently.
- (adj. / v3) concealed; out of sight; not seen
- (n.) the time in your life when you are a child
- (n.) a person who looks for and collects items
- Clues
- Coordination
- Hidden
- Childhood
- Scavenger