Hopscotch

In this post, I'll be talking about hopscotch, a game most of us have played as a child. As a kid, I loved playing Hopscotch! I remember those days where I can't wait for recess so I can run over to Hopscotch course with my friends.. There was always lots of people gathered there! There are many variations/courses of the game, but the one we are most familiar with is probably the "modern" version, as seen in the picture on the right. It is also one of the most played versions.

With Hopscotch courts slowly disappearing and kids getting more interested and involved in playing with gadgets like iPhone, iPad, etc, Hopscotch is played lesser and lesser in Singapore. It is a pity that kids these days don't know about all the fun games we used to play in the past, like Hopscotch.

Hopscotch is a game which can be played both alone and with several players. But of course, like any other games, the more players there are, the merrier it is! Did you know that Hopscotch was originally created as a Roman era military training exercise? Sidetracking a little.. Do you know that Hopscotch back in those days were over 100 foot long?(Excuse me, that's 30.48METERS long!) The modern Hopscotch is a wonderful and interesting game which can be played easily both indoors and outdoors.

To play hopscotch, you must first have a Hopscotch court or course. I do not know for other countries, but Hopscotch courses are almost non-existent in Singapore nowadays! :( However, fret not as you can make one by yourself in 5 minutes with just chalks or markers. Alternatively, you can choose to use masking tape if you do not want to dirty the floor :) Just use the chalk/marker and draw the course according to the layout as shown on the right. If you want it to be longer, you can add even more numbers! Make sure that the boxes are big enough to fit you feet and that your feet won't touch the lines. And there you go! After having the course, the next thing to do now is get to know how to play the game and get familiarize with the rules, if you haven't already know.

The rules are simple; but the game is challenging. The aim of the game is to successfully complete the hopscotch with your stone/coin/token at number 10(or more if you have even more numbers).

Rules:
1. Throw your token on the 1^st box(labelled 1). If the token misses the 1^st box, lands on other boxes or on the lines of the square, you lose your turn.
2. Hop through the boxes, skipping the 1^st box. You CANNOT step on the lines of the squares, change your hopping foot or step outside of the squares!!!
3. When you reach the 10^th or last box on the hopscotch court, DO NOT put your foot down! Hop to turn around and then hop back.
4. When you reach the 1^st box, pick up the token before you jump back over the 1 again. If you don't do this, you lose your turn!
5. If you complete this, move on to throw the stone on the 2^nd box and repeat the process, this time skipping the 2^nd box. Keep going with your turn until you make a mistake and lose your turn! Pass on to the next player.
6. If you don't complete your go, then on your next go you must try for the same number again.

Now that you have learnt how to create your own course and got to know the instructions, it's time to have a game with your friends! ;) I hope you have fun with it!

Here is a video on how to play Hopscotch:

The picture of the left shows a few other variations of Hopscotch! Have you played those other versions before? Have you played Hopscotch when you were younger? Have you enjoyed the game? What are your views of the game? Do share with us by commenting. Also, do feel free to share what other games you have been playing as a kid but find that kids these days are playing it lesser and lesser.

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Have a great day ahead! :)

Rachel