Jacks.

Jacks, or Knuclebones, Is a game very similar to five stones. Except that it is played with a ball.  The idea of the game was to throw the rubber ball in the air with one hand. And whilst the ball is mid-air, the player uses the same hand to pick up as many of the 10 jacks as possible and catch the ball back, with the ball bouncing only once. 

This game is usually played by 1-4 players, and has been played since ancient Egypt! This game would help kids improve their hand-eye co-ordination and their reflexes. This game is usually played by kids back in the 1980's and since then, with the introduction of electronic devices, the population of the game has faded out into history.

HOW TO PLAY JACKS

Step 1: If there are 2 players playing, the players will sit facing each other. If there are 3 or more players, then sit in a circle. Decide the order of play, and the first player will gently throw all 10 jacks onto the game floor, to scatter the jacks.

Step 2: The first player will throw the ball in the air with one hand and pick up one jack from the floor while the ball is mid-air. And at the same time, catch the ball back into the hand. This is all done with one hand. So be sure to use your most dominant hand!

Step 3. If the player succeeds, he or she puts the picked up jack into the other hand and gets to go again. This process is repeated until all the jacks have been picked up, the player that picks up all 10 jacks, wins the game!

Step 4. If. however, the player fails the catch back the ball. He or she puts back all picked up jacks back onto the floor. And it is then the next players turn to try to pick up all 10 jacks. And gameplay continues in this fashion, until there is a winner.

The game could be customised by adding your own rules! For instance, instead of picking up 1 jack at a time, players can make the game more challenging by picking up 2,3 or even all 10 jacks at a time! Feel free to modify the game yourself. If you are a new players, you could play by yourself first to practice. The more your practice, the better you'll be! Once you feel that you are good enough, you may want to challenge your parents. Just for old times sake. 

Here is a video by Howcast that further explains other methods on how this game is played.

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