There are 8 games in this category. Children will learn locomotion, travelling, manipulation and stability skills by jumping, hopping, throwing, balancing, bending, twisting and turning.
Boggy Marsh Hopscotch
What’s Needed
- 2 or more players, ages 6-10 years
- A stone or “marker” per player
- Sidewalk chalk. Learn to make your own sidewalk chalk
- An open area with a hard surface
How to Play
- Draw a hopscotch course as shown in the image.
- The circles are the “stepping stones” and the space between is the “Boggy Marsh”, infested with “leeches” and “water snakes”. The players must get through the Boggy Marsh without “falling in”. The stepping stones must be placed close enough together so a player can hop on one foot from one stone to the next.
- The first player starts on the circle marked one and hops on one foot all the way to the circle marked 14. When the player gets to circle 14, he/she turns and hops back.
- If the player “survives”, he/she begins again, jumping only on the odd numbered circles. The player’s next challenge is to hop only on the even numbers.
- If the player lands on the stepping stone with both feet or with one foot touching the Boggy Marsh, his/her turn is over.
- The first survivor to complete all stages is the winner!
Adaptation Suggestions
To adapt the game for different skill levels and abilities, decide before playing:
- How to move through the hopscotch course.
- Boundaries and size of the circles.
- Whether to play with a partner.
- What ends a turn.
Discover the Universe
What’s Needed
- 2 or more players, ages 6-10 years
- A stone or “marker” per player
- Sidewalk chalk. Learn to make your own sidewalk chalk
- An open area with a hard surface
How to Play
- Draw a hopscotch course as shown in the image.
- The circles must be placed close enough together to allow the players to hop on one foot from one planet to the next.
- The first player begins by standing on the Sun and throws his/her marker onto Mercury. The player hops from the Sun to Mercury, picks up his/her marker and hops back to the Sun.
- The player then throws his/her marker onto Venus. He/She hops from the Sun, to Mercury, to Venus, then picks up his/her marker, and hops back to the Sun.
- Play continues through all the planets.
- If the player throws his/her marker on the wrong planet, touches the ground with the other foot or hand, or lands on a line, his/her turn is over and the next player begins.
- All players to complete the routine successfully are the winners!
Adaptation Suggestions
To adapt the game for different skill levels and abilities, decide before playing:
- How to move through the hopscotch course.
- Boundaries and size of the circles.
- Whether to play with a partner.
- What ends a turn.
Dragon Hopscotch
What’s Needed
- 2 or more players, ages 6-10 years
- A stone or “marker” per player
- Sidewalk chalk. Learn to make your own sidewalk chalk
- An open area with a hard surface
How to Play
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- Draw a hopscotch course as shown in the image. The shaded areas between squares 4 and 5 and squares 7 and 8 are called “Dragons”. Square 6 is marked with a heart around the number.
- The first player throws his/her marker onto square 1. He/She jumps on one foot over square 1 onto square 2 and onward through the course, bending to pick up his/her marker on the way back.
- The player continues through the course, throwing his/her marker onto squares 2 to 10 proceeding through the course until he/she has completed all 10 squares. The player must jump over any square containing his/her marker.
If the player’s marker lands:
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- on a Dragon, the player must move back to square 2 and start from there on his/her next turn.
- inside the Heart in square 6, the player can move his/her marker directly to square 9.
If a player throws his/her marker on:
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- the wrong square, touches the ground with his/her other foot or jumps on a line, his/her turn is over and the next player begins.
- All players to complete the course are the winners!
Adaptation Suggestions
To adapt the game for different skill levels and abilities, decide before playing:
- How to move through the hopscotch course.
- Boundaries and size of the squares.
- Whether to play with a partner.
- What ends a turn.
Earth to Sky Hopscotch
What’s Needed
- 2 or more players, ages 6-12 years
- A stone or “marker” per player
- Sidewalk chalk. Learn to make your own sidewalk chalk
- An open area with a hard surface
How to Play
- Draw a hopscotch course as shown in the image.
- The first player stands on “Earth” and throws his/her marker onto square one marked 1. The player hops on one foot onto square 1, picks up his/her marker, and then hops back to Earth.
- Then the player throws his/her marker onto square marked 2, hops onto square 1 then 2, picks up his/her marker, turns, and then hops back on square 1 to Earth.
- The player continues through the course by throwing his/her marker onto squares 3 to “Sky” until he/she has completed the course.
- If the player throws his/her marker on the wrong square, touches the ground with the other foot or hand, or lands on a line, his/her turn is over and the next player begins.
- Once the course is completed, the player stands on Earth with his/her back to Sky and throws the marker over his/her shoulder. If the marker lands on a square, this square becomes “free”. On a free square, the player is allowed to land with both feet.
- The player now turns around and completes the entire course one more time by hopping on one foot onto each square except for the free square.
- If the marker does not land on a square, the player must hop through the course on one foot carrying the marker as decided on by the other players. This may be on their head, hand, foot, etc.
- All players to complete the routine successfully are winners!
Adaptation Suggestions
To adapt the game for different skill levels and abilities, decide before playing:
- How to move through the course.
- Boundaries and size of the squares.
- Whether to play with a partner.
- What ends a turn.
Everyone's Hopscotch
What’s Needed
- 2 or more players, ages 6-10 years
- A stone or “marker” per player
- Sidewalk chalk. Learn to make your own sidewalk chalk
- An open area with a hard surface
How to Play
- Draw a hopscotch course as shown in the image.
- All players place their markers on the first square.
- The first player jumps on one foot over square 1, onto square 2, and onward through the course. He/She then turns and comes back. At the last square, the player bends to picks up his/her marker without touching any others, jumps over the square and out
- The player then throws his/her marker onto square 2, jumps on square 1, over square 2, and continues through the course, picking up his/her marker on the way back.
- If the player throws his/her marker on the wrong square, touches the ground with a hand or the other foot, or jumps on a line, his/her turn is over and the next player begins.
- Once the player completes the whole course he/she places his/her marker on the back of one hand and jumps through the course and back without dropping the marker.
- All players to complete the course successfully are winners!
Adaptation Suggestions
To adapt the game for different skill levels and abilities, decide before playing:
- How to move through the hopscotch course.
- Boundaries and size of the squares.
- Need to work with a partner.
- What ends a turn.
Neighbourhood Hopscotch
What’s Needed
- 3 to 6 players, ages 8-12 years
- One “game marker” and several “house markers”
- Sidewalk chalk. Learn to make your own sidewalk chalk
- An open area with a hard surface
How to Play
- Draw a hopscotch course as shown in the image.
- The first player throws his/her “game marker” into the space marked 1. He/She hops on one foot onto space 1, and then kicks this marker with his/her other foot onto space 2. The player continues up the course until the marker has been kicked into each space.
- When the player has reached space 8, he/she stands facing away from the course and throws a house marker over his/her head into the playing area. The space on which it lands becomes the player’s house where, on his/her next turn, he/she may stand on both feet and rest. Other players must jump over their opponents’ houses.
- Once the player has thrown his/her house marker, his/her turn is over and the next player begins. Using his/her game marker, the next player works through the course, trying to get a house.
- A player loses his/her turn if he/she kicks his/her marker onto the wrong space, touches the ground with both feet, or lands on a line. If this happens, the player’s marker remains in the course and, on his/her next turn, he/she begins from this spot.
- The game continues with each player taking turns going through the course and collecting houses.
- The winner is the player who has the most houses at the end of the game.
Adaptation Suggestions
To adapt the game for different skill levels and abilities, decide before playing:
- How to move through the hopscotch course.
- Boundaries and size of the spaces.
- Whether to play with a partner.
Snail Hopscotch
What’s Needed
- 2 or more players, ages 6-8 years
- A stone or “marker” per player
- Sidewalk chalk. Learn to make your own sidewalk chalk
- An open area with a hard surface
How to Play
- Draw a hopscotch course as shown in the image.
- The first player begins by throwing his/her marker onto the space marked 1. He/She hops onto this space, bends to pick up his/her marker and hops out.
- The player then tosses his/her marker onto the space marked 2, hops on space 1 then to space 2, picks up his/her marker, and hops back to the start.
- The player continues through the grid by throwing his/her marker onto each space until he/she has completed all 10 spaces.
- If the player throws his/her marker on the wrong space, touches the ground with the other foot or hand, or lands on a line, his/her turn is over and the next player begins.
- All players to complete the routine successfully are winners!
Variations
- Play at a “snail’s pace”
- As the player lands on his/her space with the marker, he/she stands on one foot and counts out loud up to the number of the space on which he/she is standing.
Adaptation Suggestions
To adapt the game for different skill levels and abilities, decide before playing:
- How to move through the grid.
- Boundaries and size of the spaces.
- Whether to play with a partner.
- What ends a turn.
Village Hopscotch
What’s Needed
- 2 or more players, ages 8-12 years
- A stone or “marker” per player
- Sidewalk chalk. Learn to make your own sidewalk chalk
- An open area with a hard surface
How to Play
- Draw a hopscotch course as shown in the image.
- The player begins by hopping with the left foot onto square 1 followed by the right foot onto square 2. Then left on 4, right on 3. Left on 1, right on 2. Then out of the course.
- If successful, the player continues with the next row: left on 5 and right on 6, followed by left on 8 and right on 7, then left on 4, right on 3, left on 1, right on 2, and then out of the course. This continues until the player completes all the 16 squares.
- If the player touches the ground with both feet, or lands on a line, his/her turn is over and the next player begins.
- All players to complete the routine successfully are winners!
Adaptation Suggestions
To adapt the game for different skill levels and abilities, decide before playing:
- How to move through the hopscotch course.
- Boundaries and size of the squares.
- Whether to play with a partner.
- What ends a turn.
