Hide and seek

One person is ‘on’ and has to hide his face and count to 100. The others hide and the person ‘on’ has to find them. When he does he runs back to base, hits it with his hand and says ‘Wap’. The person caught is a captive.. When all are caught a new game starts with the first person caught ‘On’. Duruing the game anyone hiding can run to base and ‘Wap’ the prisoners out whilst the seeker is out seeking.

British Bulldog

Two teams line up facing each other. At a given signal one team runs towards the other and has to get past them. If they do they get to the other side. The defending team has to wrestle the others to the ground as captives. Can be a bit rough.

Rolley

Similar to British bulldog but not as rough. Opponents are merely touched to be caught.

Tick.

Someone is on and has to chase the others until caught. When close enoght he touches them and shouts ‘Tick’. That person is then on and has to do the same but cannot ‘tick’ the person who ‘ticked ‘ them.

Skipping Rope

A long rope is held by two people with enough slack to be able to turn it in a circular motion. The others jump in and skip over the rope each time it comes round. Speeds vary and if the rope hits you it’s your turn to hold and turn it.

Hopscotch

Squares a yard wide are drawn in a pattern from 1 to 10. The first square is 1 then two together are 2 and 3 then 4, then 5 and 6, then 7, then 8 and 9, then 10. A wooden block is thrown to land on the numbers starting with 1. If successful the thrower hops along the series of numbered squares jumping conmpletly over the one with the wooden block on it. The first to do all 10 wins. If the block doesn’t land on the correct square it is the other person’s turn.

Finger, thumb or dum.

The players are divided into two teams. A neutral volunteer stands with his back to a wall and the defending team form a snake by bending down, the first with his head at stomach level resting against the volunteer. Each player benads with his head between the legs of the person in front frorming the snake up to a maximum of seven players. The other team run and jump so as to land on the backs of the snake trying to make it collapse. If they do it is their turn again. If they don’t the front person holds up his hand to sho either one finger, one thumb or a clenched fist (dum). The front snake person has to guess which it is. If correct the teams swap places. If not the jumpers jump again. A pretty rough game but helped build us up and form character.

Marbles (or Marps)

There are a variety of games but we commonly played ‘Ringy’. a ring is drawn about a foot in diameter and each playert puts a marble in (Small glass sphere). Each person has a ‘Dobber’ or bigger marble that they flirt at those in the circle trying to knock them out. Those that are knocked out are kept by the flicker.

Conkers

In the Autumn (Fall) we used to collect horse chestnuts that fell from the trees (conkers|). A hole was made through the middle and a piece of string about a foot long with a knot in the end was passed through. Contests were held where one person held their conker dangling whilst another hit it with theirs. Whosever conker survived without breaking won. People would soak them in vinegar or bake them to make them hard. Each one you broke made yours a bigger score so if, for example, you broke five others, yours was a ‘fiver’. Beak nine and it was a ‘niner’ and so on.

Jacks and dobbs.

This was a game comprising of a small wooden ball about 1 inch in diameter and five small metal pieces shaped like a 3 dimensional cross. The idea was to toss the ball in the air and pick up a metal cvross then catch the ball as it came doen. The ball was then thrown again and another metal cross picked up until all five were held. If the ball or a cross was dropped it was the other person’s turn. Sometimes called ‘Fives’.

Fives

Two people played this with a tennis ball, using their open palms as a racket and bouncing the ball against a wall. When it bounced back the other person had to hit it back against the wall alloing the ball to bounce no more than once. Scores as in tennis.

Kicky out ball.

A football (Soccer ball to you Yanks) was placed in a circle and guarded by the player who was ‘On’. The other players circled around trying to get past him without being ‘ticked’. If they were they had to stand aside ina ‘den’. If you got past him and kicked the ball out the player ‘on’ had to chase it and bring it back whilst the kicker ‘ticked out’ as many prisoners as he could to set them free.

There’s a few of the games we played and, as you can see, we made simple fun at very little cost. No-one thought of vandalising anything in those days or causing trouble or being anti-social. We had very little after the war but they were happy times.

Simon Says

The Hula Hoop

Double Dutch

Various hand games (Miss Lady Mack or One Potato, Two Potato)

Kickball

Kick the Can

Football

Marbles

Jacks

dodge ball

Cowboys and Indians

Hope this helps 🙂

Fox and Geese.

Jacks.

Hopscotch.

Tag.

Hide & Go Seek.

Skipping for the girls