Favourite childhood games

joanlawson

Hi Legs

Children aren't allowed to play out with the same freedom that we had. Parents are so worried about all the dangers these days, and many children don't get the chance to play out in the street any more. They are stuck indoors with their computers and TVs etc, and it is a real shame.

When I was growing up, the kids on my street came out to play in all weathers, and we played lots of games together. Happy days

lindalegs

joanlawson wrote:

Hi Legs................When I was growing up, the kids on my street came out to play in all weathers, and we played lots of games together. Happy days

My Mum made us play out in all weathers, Joan, but she did have 5 children and we lived in a small terraced house

Street games were fab though and the more kids the better it was.

Luv Legs

dreamdaisy

Right, I have tried the tensies and as I thought, it's awkward with stabilisers. Can't do the throwing the ball under one leg but I did complete most of the moves and realised I had some of them wrong in my earlier post. I couldn't do the last one, the turning round and clapping. Grrrrrrrrrr. It's weird how something you have not done for over forty years comes back so easily. DD

joanlawson

dreamdaisy wrote:

Right, I have tried the tensies and as I thought, it's awkward with stabilisers. Can't do the throwing the ball under one leg but I did complete most of the moves and realised I had some of them wrong in my earlier post. I couldn't do the last one, the turning round and clapping. Grrrrrrrrrr. It's weird how something you have not done for over forty years comes back so easily. DD

I played a ball game just like this for hours, and the good thing was that you could either do it on your own, or in competition with other children.

Boys tend not to play games like this, but prefer to kick a football around. Maybe they think it's too girly, but it is actually a game of skill.

dreamdaisy

Like all sports, it's hand/eye co-ordination, or foot/eye for footie! It gives good grounding for so many other things. Gosh, I miss playing tennis - living vicariously via the French Open. Sam Stosur is doing v well against Serena W. DD

ninakang

Ooooooh, just seen this post! I remember all these games too! Took me RIGHT back to school! I remember begging the games teacher for the long skipping rope from the PE cupboard and then having two girls holding the ropes and playing elaborate skipping games. I can still jump rope on a good day - my girls aren't impressed though We also used to be fond of rounders, even though we used to argue over the rules, and we used to lose on average 3 tennis balls a week.

I remember playing Murder in the dark on sleep overs with our cousins. I don't remember the rules but I do remember that as soon as the light was switched off someone would either fart or burp and we would laugh loud and long enough to be told off and to go to bed. That still makes me laugh.

Nx

dreamdaisy

Double Dutch is the skipping thing, seen wonderful footage of girls in New York doing it. Tremendous.

No matter who you are, or where you are, farting is always funny. DD

joanlawson

Hi Nina

I remember all those skipping games too. At one time, I think I spent half my life skipping, trying to master complicated moves, and chanting skipping songs. We also played with a big rope on the playground at school, ''All in together, girls, this fine weather, girls.'' You had to jump in when the month of your birthday was shouted out, and we would have lots of us all skipping together.

Murder in the dark was very popular at parties, and seemed to involve a lot of screaming from what I remember, especially if any boys were invited

Hi DD

I had forgotten about Double Dutch, so thanks for reminding me. That was what I spent hours practising. Incredible to think how well my knees worked then, and how badly they work now

ninakang

Hi DD and Joan

I've just been telling my girls about these games and they laughed, I think, to think of me as a little girl playing like they do. The conversation started when we were at mum and dad's having a cup of tea after going to the temple. My eldest asked me what the scar was on my wrist and my dad decided to explain that I had been silly with a glue gun at school and ended up getting burnt with it. Thanks for that, Dad.

What actually happened was that during a textiles lesson we were told to be very sensible and careful with the glue guns which were very hot and plugged into the wall. Obviously, being 14 years old, the prospect of having something that looked like a gun was too appealing and so when the teacher left the room me and a couple of friends decided to strike some Charlie's Angels poses 8) That's how cool we were back then. The teacher came back in and gave us a telling off and my friend jumped and managed to stab me in the wrist with her gun. I swore something very rude because I was surprised and hurt and so the teacher ended up keeping us in at break to lecture us on behaving responsibly.

It wouldn't have been so bad if my wound hadn't become infected - I had to go to the doctors and get a course of antibiotics :roll: And yes, I still have the scar to prove it almost 20 years later.

Kids eh They were great days.

Nx

biddybeth

God, this topic took me back. I too loved paper dolls and made elaborate clothes for them. They all had french names because I thought anything French was so sophisticated. Before the age of eight I was a very sturdy, active little girl, and all the games at the time I played with enthusiasm. We sang songs while throwing onne ball or two against the wall - one was "the night was dark, the war was over, the battle fields were spread with blood ................... I don't think we really took much notice of the words we were singing as they were pretty grim!! On rainy days a crowd of us would sit in the porch and tell ghost stories, like "The Monkey's Paw. We were never bored. My best friend Ella (died a few years ago - breast cancer) and I would dress up in my mum's clothes and hats,and use the dark red licquorice comfits as lipstick. I think today's kids miss out as we had to make our own entertainment, and we were out all day in the fresh air playing all the street games. Memories!!! Beth

dreamdaisy

What used to reduce me to helpless giggles (aged about 4, so 1963) was hiding in my mum's petticoats, big, flouncy things, then walking with her, under her skirts. The sight of just her lags, waggling away - laughing now! It all came to an end when I laughed so hard I wet myself on her clean kitchen floor. DD

speedalong

joanlawson wrote:

Hi

What were your favourite games when you were a child?

I loved those cardboard cut-out dolls, and I spent hours designing paper clothes for them. I had whole families of them, and used to stage big events like weddings, which required new outfits for everyone. I think I missed my vocation. If I'd stuck at it, I could have been a famous dress designer by now :!:

Joan

I remember those - one birthday party all my guests but one bought me the same cut-out doll set!! So I had 5 sets of them ...

Speedy

dreamdaisy

I was given a set too, for my seventh birthday. I had boils in every joint of my fingers at the time, couldn't use the scissors to cut out the shapes 'cos my hands were bandaged. I got very sulky and was roundly told off by my mum. Her hands weren't bandaged tho. The unfairness struck me then, still strikes me now! DD

speedalong

Imaginative games were our favourites ...

One was called "Mountain rescue" it was based on a children's programme called, "Belle and Sebastian," .... We used to play it with our cousins at my Granny's house. We would play falling down the snowy mountain (her stairs - which had a small landing half way down) and then there would be lots of drama with knotted together skipping ropes etc as the rescue was peformed.

Oh yes, I played schools a lot too ....!!

We used to call French skipping - elastics ...

Also used to love sneaking into other Grandma's living room to "ride" the curved back of the sofa - it was just like riding a horse (honestly Cris!!) great fun and VERY banned!!

Ohh - must read some more ... not got beyond first page yet.

Speedy

suncatcher

Loved elastics and skipping in summer and conkers and marbles in winter. Good times we had fun all gone too pc. We were were mentioning this today go karts were mentioned.

trisher

Had marbles, skipping rope. hop scotch, and doing the MayPole at school when you had all different coloured ribbons.

Trish xx