Old-Fashioned Schoolyard Games

Here are a few old time favourites to teach your preschoolers.

Hopscotch

Using chalk, draw a hopscotch board marking the squares 1 to 10.

The first player begins by throwing a rock on square #1. The player then hops up and down the board- landing on one foot for single squares and two feet for double squares. On the way back, the player picks up his or her rock while standing on the adjacent square. If successful, the player shoots again, this time at square #2 and repeats the process. The player continues up the board until either the rock lands on the wrong square or the player lands on a line, out-of-bounds or on a square with a rock on it. At this point it's the next person's turn.

When a player loses a turn, at their next turn, they resume from where they left off.

Play continues until one player has successfully hopped through all squares.

Four Squares

Use chalk to draw a large square. Divide the square into four equal quadrants and number them 1- 4. Draw a diagonal line through square # 1 to mark the serving line. One player stands in each of the four boxes. Player one uses a large rubber ball and serves it to any other player by bouncing it in that player's square. The player then sends the ball to any other player by tapping it so that it bounces in another person's square. Players continue bouncing the ball into other players' squares until someone misses the ball or the ball bounces on a line. That player is then out and steps off the square. The remaining players rotate up the squares and a new player moves into the # 4 spot. Player #1 keeps serving until he/she is knocked out.

By Rochelle Strauss