Children love to play. Aside from having fun, playground sports and games provide a great platform for children to explore, interact and learn with other children. All around the world, there are many kinds of playground sports and games. Some are common to many places while others are unique. As for the common playground sports and games, some places have slight changes in mechanics or equipment but generally, the whole game is the same. Here are the common playground sports and games which you can find from Europe, Asia to America.
- Skipping – Skipping is usually done using a rope which a person holds at one end and another person on the other end. This game can be played regardless of the number of participants. Some would prefer solo while others like to play in groups comprising of more than five players. There are also some people who would use 2 ropes at the same time. One distinct feature with skipping is that children will sing rhymes to make the game more fun while also introducing rhythm which is crucial in skipping. There are even skipping tricks developed such as Double Dutch, Pretzel, Stalk, Can-can as well as Double skipping.
- IT – IT is a very popular playground sport among children. They run and chase other children. The chaser is know as being “IT” which also the word used when catching another player. Playground sports surveys say that this game is often played during winter as running about keeps the children warm. Another variation of this game is called “Cops and Robbers”. This is sometimes referred as the game of tag.
- Jack or Five Stones – More commonly known as Jack Stones today. It requires a small ball and several jacks or stones. This playground sport is popular among girls. The players will decide the order by throwing the stones or jacks and trying to catch them all at the back of the hand. Then the jacks caught will be thrown and caught using the front hand. The player with the most number of jacks caught will go first.
- Ball games – There are many kinds of ball games played by children. There is catch, football, rugby and even basketball. Some children already engage on playground sports such as these while others participate in competitions as a team.
- Playground Markings – Most schools often provide playground games markings for the children within their school. These are great as kids often use their imagination to play instead of parents having to invest large amounts of money that they may not have into team sports or toys. Playground marking games can range from hop scotch, snakes and ladders to anything that the students can come up with.
Regardless of the place, children will always find ways to enjoy their youth and engage in some sort of playground sport or game. Really us adults can learn a thing or two.